Christopher Columbus, this boy from Genoa, Italy, was born into a family of weavers, but he was not completely into weaving. He was a sea lover and wanted to become a high-class sailor. One day, a wonderful idea came to his mind to find a sea route to Asia. He tried to convince the people in Genoa, then he tried to convince the kings of Portugal, England, France and Spain. But for a long time, no one was sponsoring him or believing him. But guess what? Eventually he managed to talk the king of Spain for the sponsorship of his journey.

Despite the difficulties he faced and the unknown vastness of the Atlantic Ocean, Columbus persisted in his wanderings. In 1492 he did not reach Asia, as he wanted, but reached the Caribbean islands (America). His discovery opened a new chapter in history, connecting two previously separated worlds, Europe and America. What conclusion did we draw from this? The story of Columbus shows that not all who wander are lost. Sometimes some people make unprecedented discoveries.

So, is a determined goal enough to make a lost wanderer successful? The answer is obviously “No”. If Columbus had lost his patience while crossing the never-ending Atlantic with a medicinal ship and returned to Europe, there may not have been a United States of America and the global hegemony that it enjoyed for decades. Not just patience and a determined firm goal, but a lost wanderer also needs perseverance, an able guide or teacher, and a huge amount of hard work without breaking down and slogging through tough periods.

Now the question is, what does wanderer mean here? -Traditionally, wanderers are often associated with a lack of purpose. However, this may not always be true. For some people, traveling may be a choice to explore new dimensions in their life. Additionally, it can also be a way to break the monotony. For example, some people take leave from regular work and go to tourist places to break the monotony. Therefore, wandering can have a purpose as well as a lack of purpose. We can find traces of it across the entire spectrum.

"When Elon Musk made millions of dollars by selling a stake in his first startup, he decided to invest that money in his two new startups. While the goal of his first company was to explore the possibility of creating the best electric vehicles, a mission similar to Toyota Abandoned by other automobile giants, his second company aimed to commercialize space travel and possibly establish human civilization on Mars. While people thought they had lost themselves by venturing into these risky ventures, they proved to the world that Not everyone is lost by making both of his companies successful. So, what makes Musk different from a typical lost wanderer?

This is the goal he aims to achieve and his dedication to pursuing it. If we look at history we will find many examples like Siddhartha, who left his royal family to explore the world and search for truth. He was no lost wanderer; He wandered around the northern states of India with the aim of acquainting himself with the truth.

Subsequently, Medieval Europe saw the Renaissance. In those days, scientists like Galileo Galilei and Copernicus challenged the existing scientific beliefs, paving the way for the scientific revolution. For this deviation Galileo was sentenced to prison. This was because his wanderings challenged the tradition where the Church believed that the Earth was at the center of the universe and the Sun revolved around it. However, his observations showed that heliocentrism is not possible and thus the Sun is at the center and the Earth revolves around it. So, his wanderings ended with a scientific discovery.

After this, if we look at the political developments of the modern world, we will see the wanderings of the Indian saint Mahatma Gandhi. During his wanderings, he used his resources to fight against the British Empire. For example, Mahatma Gandhi developed the Satyagraha technique during his visit to South Africa. It was based on truth and non-violence. Later, he also used the same means to fight against the British colonial power in India. Thus, his wanderings were useful in finding new means of fighting against imperial power.

Apart from this, we also see its reflection in the post-modern world. At the individual level, people are trying to find the purpose of life amidst the race of technological advancement. Some problems have no name. These problems are being investigated by individuals through excursions and experiments. For example, Robin Sharma in his book "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari" describes how he experimented with his life while wandering in his mind in a dilemma between materialism and spirituality.

Ultimately, while roaming around, he came to know that simplicity in life gives happiness in the future. This tells you that it is more important to focus on building your inner life than building your outer life. So, he sold his Ferrari and gave up materialism. Thus, his wanderings were fruitful in the sense that it provided simplicity in life by reducing the dependence on materialism which is characteristic only of external life.

if we talk about the field of sports, then M.S. Dhoni experimented in his life through travelling. He deviated from his career path. He had a job in Indian Railways. Nevertheless, he tried to explore his inner feelings through cricket. The result was that he left the career of a ticket collector and started exploring himself in the cricket field. Till now, he has been one of the most successful Indian captains in Indian cricket, having won all the world tournaments under his leadership. Thus, his journey inspires other people in the society to self-discovery.

Thus, walking is also a kind of metaphor for flexibility and adaptability. For example, if we look at the national level, we will see India wandering in world politics. After independence, India chose the third pole in the face of the Non-Aligned Movement against being trapped in bipolar rivalry. The First World criticized India for "sitting on the fence" and acting like a "swing state". However, we, India, in our wandering, have transformed ourselves from NAM to “strategic autonomy” while building our capacity. Today India has become a "rule maker" in world politics. Thus, India's entry into geopolitics was useful in serving its national interests.

However, there is another side to this coin. We cannot always claim that wandering always ends with a profitable journey. Some wanderers are not purposeful in their travels. For example, in African countries like Sudan, people choose not to wander during refugee crises or civil wars. In fact, circumstances force them to wander. They are really lost in their wandering and are trying to find a place to survive by becoming refugees in other countries. Thus, they lack purpose and remain adrift.

The recent conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the breakdown of the world order is a perfect example of difficult times. In this period, countries need to move forward by engaging in dialogue and diplomacy with the goal of global peace, as India has shown. India, with its twin goals of global peace and strategic autonomy, has been vocal about adhering to the UN Charter and promoting a rules-based world, as evidenced by PM Modi's recent message on ending war. While aligning with Western powers through initiatives like Quad, I2U2 and logistics agreements with the US, India has balanced it with the other side of the war by cooperating with Russia on logistics agreements like SCO, BRICS and RELOS. While this may seem like a deviation in India's foreign policy, it has ensured India's strategic autonomy, as demonstrated by the increased purchases of Russian oil and gas without approval by Western powers, leading to sustained economic growth and There has been controlled inflation.

Sometimes, despite having an objective, the objective can also be bad. For example, under the leadership of Osama bin Laden, a plane flew directly into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York. It had hit its target and was not lost literally but metaphorically; it could not have been more lost. But its objective was not morally sufficient. Thus, even if one has a purpose, it does not mean that one's journey will be fruitful.

Therefore, to make wandering a purpose, a person must have a proper moral foundation. This means that the person must have a purpose and that purpose must appear morally good. It requires social skills so that the person can understand his own and others' emotions.

Similarly, honesty will inspire people to come out of their comfort zone and try to find solutions to suffering. As we saw above, Buddha, despite being from the elite class, came out of his comfort zone to find the causes and solutions to human suffering. Thus, integrity combined with compassion can make wandering fruitful and successful.

Mirza Ghalib said – “The destination will be reached only by wandering, the misguided is the one who does not get out of the house” (मंज़िल मिलेगी भटक कर ही सही, गुमराह तो वो है, जो घर से निकले ही नही।). That is, only wandering leads to the destination. Those who wander are not lost, but those who did not come out of their comfort zone and did not confine themselves to the four walls of home are truly lost. Thus, it can be concluded that not all people who wander are lost, especially if they have a definite goal, perseverance and the ability to work hard. But one should not stray into areas that are harmful, such as pursuing a career that is stressful, which can lead to mental health issues and sometimes extreme steps like suicide. As the saying goes, "A fish should not be judged by its ability to climb a tree." Thus, deliberately going astray with a set of goals can prevent one from getting lost.

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