New Delhi, Feb. 18 -- I met a few friends after a long while. They too work in the social sector. Even after more than a year of my writing a series of columns, they remembered them with amusement. The columns were about donors and social-sector leaders. What amused them most was the reactions these had generated in their circles.

About the first set, which was about donors-people like me and our organizations- they heard widespread praise and strong agreement. In those, I had been critical of the methods that people like us adopt and therefore the culture these foster in the NGO sector. The positive reaction was unsurprising.

The second set was about social-sector leaders. The one that particularly amused my friends was where I had des...