Gm Kapur or gm as he is widely known is a long-time resident of Kolkata. He followed the then and even now sought-after path of an engineering and management education followed by a business career which included a stint with the state bank of India as well as private enterprise. He is currently advising in the area of business matchmaking. He made a course correction on the way when heritage conservation and restoration became a passion after he saw the decay which Kolkata, then Calcutta, was being subjected to. He joined what was called ‘an army of conscience keepers to the nation – to protect what is rightfully ours – our heritage”. Which was an invitation to join the Indian national trust for art and cultural heritage which he felt was the perfect platform for furthering the cause of heritage conservation. The seeds of his interest in history and heritage were sown at IIM Calcutta itself. The course in industrial and economic history under the venerable and erudite professor Barun De in the first term at IIMC lit the spark. This continued alongside his business activity but has taken on a much more active role now with the setting up of the Intach conservation institute which is the largest centre in Kolkata for the conservation of material heritage especially in the private domain and the Intach heritage academy in new Delhi which offers both online and offline heritage education. His role as an activist in this area is widely acknowledged because of which he has been invited to serve on various government panels and industry associations where the symbiotic relationship between heritage and tourism has been nurtured and developed to help in deriving economic value from tangible and intangible heritage. In addition, he is active in various civil society causes as well, including social service, peace initiatives, environmental and urban regeneration issues.

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