MDH Masala owner, Dharampal Gulati dead at 98; established Mahashian Di Hatti (MDH) back in 1959, became Masala King of India

The iconic MDH owner Mahashay Dharampal Gulati passed away on Thursday morning after suffering a cardiac arrest at a hospital in New Delhi. Famously known as the ‘MDH uncle’, ‘Dadaji’, ‘Masala King’, or ‘King of Spices’, Mahashay Dharampal Gulati was the founder of MDH (Mahashian Di Hatti), one of India's biggest spice brands. Gulati suffered a cardiac arrest on December 3 morning at a hospital in New Delhi, where he was undergoing treatment. Gulati was 98 years old. 

Gulati was born in 1923 in Pakistan’s Sialkot, where his father had set up a small shop. However, after partition in 1947, the family moved to Delhi in India. In 1953, Gulati rented a shop in Chandni Chowk, named it Mahashiyan Di Hatti (MDH), and started selling spices.  The company was officially established in 1959 when Gulati bought land in Kirti Nagar and set up a manufacturing unit. 

Currently, MDH Spices, which manufactures nearly 50 different varieties of spices, has 15 factories across the country and sells its products across the globe, as per reports. Gulati became highest-paid FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) CEO in India in 2017. 

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Gulati dabbled in a number of things before he found his road to success. Among the other businesses he tried his hand at were cloth, soap, hardware, even rice and carpentry. However, things did not work out. But Gulati was an eternal optimist and kept working hard. This intrepid spirit is what led him to fame and fortune through the ‘Mahashian Di Hatti’.

In early days of the venture, in a methodical way, he focussed on quality, and then, as the business grew, even started advertising on television. The ad that caught the imagination of the nation was the one in which he, featured. Popularity of the brand skyrocketted and MDH crossed the Rs 1,000 crore mark.

The amazing achievement is clear from just one fact - the money that he started with and the business empire he established. Gulati had been forced to move to India after Partition. Just Rs 1,500 was in his pocket. He reportedly bought a horse-drawn carriage for Rs 650 and ferried travellers from New Delhi Railway Station to Qutub Road!  

Now, MDH, sells some 62 products worldwide. 

In 2019, Gulati was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award.