New Delhi, April 15 -- I have quarrels with many words. Some are intense, long-running disputes; others are milder irritations. The word 'impact'-deployed relentlessly across the social sector-belongs firmly to the first category.

To be sure, I have no complaint with the word in its original, physical sense. The impact of an asteroid striking the Earth. The impact of a cricket bat meeting a ball. These usages are precise, literal and honest.

My quarrel is with the word as it has migrated to the vocabulary of development work and philanthropy: "Our work's impact has transformed the lives of 10,000 women" or "the impact of our work now spans four states." In these usages, a six-letter word carries such enormous weight that what is conveye...