At 53, Aparna Sampath Is Choosing Curiosity, Community and Purpose

Choosing Curiosity and Community

For much of her life, Aparna Sampath rarely paused to ask herself what she truly enjoyed.

There was always something more urgent waiting. Education came first, followed by a career, marriage, children and family responsibilities. Like many women of her generation, life was measured by responsibilities fulfilled rather than personal interests explored. Every phase brought a new role to play, leaving little space to simply ask, “What brings me joy?”

Looking back, she doesn’t see those years with regret. They shaped who she is today. But reaching her fifties has given her something she had very little of before - choice.

Today, Aparna works independently as a behavioural skills and leadership facilitator, designing experiential learning programmes for corporates, educational institutions and community groups. She is also a certified POSH trainer, helping organisations build safer, more respectful workplaces. Alongside her professional work, she remains closely connected to her family’s farm, where she enjoys spending time in nature and exploring new possibilities for learning and connection.

What excites her now isn’t mastering a single hobby. It’s remaining curious.

Some weekends she attends meditation retreats. On others she joins heritage walks or goes trekking. She enjoys music, not because she wants to perform, but because she enjoys being part of the experience. She is equally happy singing along from the audience, cheering for others and simply soaking in the atmosphere.

“I find almost everything interesting,” she says with a smile.

That sentence perhaps describes her best.

She isn’t searching for expertise as much as she is searching for experiences that help her understand herself a little better. Every new activity becomes an opportunity to learn, not only about the world, but about herself.

One of those experiences led her to Marzi.

She first came across the community through social media and was curious about a space created specifically for people over fifty. She attended a few events, but what stayed with her wasn’t just the activities, it was the people.

The Circle of Strength gathering, in particular, left a lasting impression. She met people she continues to stay in touch with even today. There was something comforting about being surrounded by individuals at a similar stage of life, people who had their own stories, challenges and experiences, yet came together with openness rather than judgement.

“There were people I could genuinely connect with,” she recalls.

For Aparna, that sense of belonging became one of Marzi’s greatest strengths.

The experience also made her reflect on something deeper, the importance of communities built around shared interests rather than shared obligations.

She realised that when people come together simply because they enjoy learning, exploring or spending time with one another, meaningful relationships naturally develop. That thought stayed with her long after the events ended.

Being part of Marzi has inspired her to think differently about community. It has reinforced her belief that people need spaces where they can reconnect, with themselves, with nature and with others who share similar interests. As someone closely involved with her family’s farm, she now finds herself imagining how such spaces could one day encourage people who love agriculture, nature and lifelong learning to come together, exchange ideas and simply enjoy the experience.

Professionally, Aparna has spent years helping people develop communication, leadership and behavioural skills. Listening has always been central to her work. Whether she is facilitating a workshop or participating in a community gathering, she enjoys understanding what motivates people, what holds them back and what encourages them to participate.

That same instinct is why she often recommends Marzi to friends who have moved to Bengaluru later in life or who are looking to meet like-minded people.

She never tells them that Marzi will solve every problem. Instead, she says something much simpler:

“Go once. Meet people. You never know what, or who, you might discover.”

Looking back, Aparna doesn’t describe this phase of life as slowing down. If anything, it feels more expansive than the years before it.

Today, the question is no longer simply, “What do I enjoy?”

It has become, “How do I want to spend my time, and who do I want to share it with?”

For her, the answer continues to unfold, through conversations, new experiences, quiet moments in nature and communities that remind people they are never too old to stay curious.

Perhaps that’s the greatest gift of this stage of life: not having everything figured out, but having the freedom to keep discovering.