By Mathew Mattam, Editorial Head & Publisher
On 1st January 2025, ImpactLens was born out of a simple yet powerful belief: that stories from the grassroots matter, and that when they are told with honesty and dignity, they have the power to inspire change far beyond their immediate context. One year later, as we pause to reflect on this journey, I look back with gratitude, humility, and renewed conviction.
ImpactLens has truly been a labour of love. It began as an idea—to create a space where development work is not reduced to numbers and reports, but expressed through lived experiences, voices from the field, and journeys of transformation. In a media landscape often dominated by sensationalism, propaganda, and fleeting headlines, ImpactLens set out to do something different: to slow down, listen carefully, and tell stories that endure.
Redefining the Narrative of Social Change
From the outset, ImpactLens aimed to redefine how development and social change are narrated. Instead of focusing only on outcomes, we chose to highlight processes—resilience built over time, failures that became lessons, and small victories that quietly transformed lives. Our platform became a home for stories of young people discovering leadership, farmers experimenting with sustainable practices, women and gender-diverse individuals reclaiming dignity, grassroots entrepreneurs building livelihoods, and communities responding creatively to climate and social challenges.
Over the past year, ImpactLens has published 382 articles, spanning themes such as youth leadership, grassroots entrepreneurship, gender diversity, climate action, sustainability, migration, gig economy challenges, and inclusive development. These stories were not written from a distance. They were crafted by people deeply embedded in the work—project executives, coordinators, managers, and field practitioners—who brought authenticity, reflection, and insight to every piece.
Collective Storytelling, Collective Strength
One of the greatest strengths of ImpactLens lies in its collective spirit. More than 40 writers have contributed to the platform, each adding their unique voice and perspective. Among our most consistent and impactful contributors are Pritesh Kamble, Kalyani Mudaliar, Soumyashree Mohanty, and several young and emerging writers who found their confidence and voice through this space. For many, ImpactLens was their first opportunity to be published—not just as practitioners, but as authors.
Our editorial team, led with dedication by Soumyashree Mohanty and Kalyani Mudaliar, has been the backbone of this journey. Their rigour, sensitivity, and commitment to quality ensured that every story published carried depth, clarity, and purpose. Behind the scenes, volunteers, media and social media teams worked tirelessly to keep the platform alive, relevant, and consistent.
Reach Beyond Borders
The response to ImpactLens has been both encouraging and humbling. In just one year, the platform recorded over 22,000 views and 17,000 unique visitors. What surprised us most was the global reach. While around 25% of our readers are from India, nearly 75% come from outside the country, including readers from China, Singapore, the United States, Germany, Ireland, Sweden, Brazil, and the United Kingdom.
Our average readership has steadily grown, touching nearly 2,000 readers a month, and on peak days crossing 200 readers daily. In the coming year, we aim to strengthen this momentum—first stabilising a consistent daily readership of 100, and then scaling towards 1,000 readers a day. These numbers matter not for vanity, but because they reflect something deeper: that stories rooted in local realities resonate globally.
Why Documentation Matters
As Kuldeepsingh Rajput aptly reflected, the launch of ImpactLens marked “a step towards institutionalising impact documentation.” His words echo a truth many of us have learned over decades of social work: without documentation, people forget what has been done. Stories preserve memory. They multiply impact. They allow others to learn, replicate, and believe.
ImpactLens has helped organisations to articulate their journeys and outcomes in a holistic way. For donors and partners, these narratives offer clarity on how support translates into real change. In a world filled with uncertainty, such stories provide hope—evidence that micro-level efforts can spark larger transformations.
For organisations like RUBAL, ImpactLens created space to voice critical concerns around migration, urban exclusion, NEET youth, youth policy, and gig-platform workers. Kuldeep’s suggestion of publishing an annual book featuring success stories is one we deeply value and hope to realise in the coming years.
A Platform That Builds Confidence
Yogesh Nerpagar describes ImpactLens as more than a digital platform—it is an opportunity for grassroots workers to become authors, to reflect on their journeys, and to be heard. This is perhaps one of the most beautiful outcomes of the initiative. Writing is empowering. It builds confidence, sharpens thinking, and affirms that lived experience is knowledge worth sharing.
For many contributors, ImpactLens has been their first step into the world of writing and public reflection. This recognition—of field-level changemakers as thinkers and storytellers—is central to our vision.
A Personal Reflection
Soumyashree Mohanty’s reflection captures the soul of ImpactLens. She recalls the December 2024 meeting when the idea was first shared—a platform envisioned to help civil society organisations showcase journeys of transformation. Since its launch on 1st January 2025, ImpactLens has consistently published stories that go beyond outcomes, allowing writers to share learnings, dilemmas, and insights from the field.
For Soumyashree and for many others, ImpactLens has been deeply personal—a space to explore perspectives on social systems and emerging challenges. For a writer, such opportunities matter immensely.
Kalyani Mudaliar says, The launch of ImpactLens stands out as one of the most significant achievements. It created a powerful platform that brought together real, inspiring stories from the field across the many states.
I had the privilege of directly interviewing several beneficiaries and editing many other stories. Through these interactions, I closely witnessed their journeys—marked by prolonged struggles, deep emotions, and ultimately, hard-earned victories. These transformations were made possible by various interventions, which connected people from diverse regions under one shared platform of hope and opportunity.
Gratitude and the Road Ahead
We gratefully acknowledge those who have contributed more than twelve articles over the year: Soumyashree Mohanty, Kalyani Mudaliar, Pritesh Kamble, Yogesh Nerpagar, Pramodini Naik, Wasim Shaikh, and Vikas Mhaske. We also extend heartfelt thanks to our media team, especially Suvarna Kamthe, our social media team, and all writers and contributors from the field who believed in this platform.
As we step into our second year, ImpactLens will expand its scope across three key areas:
1. Blogging and documenting grassroots best practices
2. Supporting visibility for recruitment and placement in the development sector
3. Publicising events, ideas, and news that matter to society
The success of ImpactLens reaffirms a simple truth: storytelling is not an add-on to development—it is central to it. Stories connect people, inspire action, and preserve the soul of social change.
Thank you for being part of this journey. Here’s to many more years of storytelling, impact, and inspiration.
