New Delhi: MDH owner, Dharampal Gulati, passed away early today after suffering from a cardiac arrest at a hospital in New Delhi.
Mahashay Dharampal Gulati, popularly known as the 'MDH Uncle', 'Dadaji', 'Masala King', or 'King of Spices' was the founder of MDH (Mahashian Di Hatti) masala brand.
Known as one of India's most inspiring entrepreneur, Gulati was born in 1919 in Sialkot, Pakistan, where his father had set up a small shop. Post partition of India, Dharampal Gulati had moved to Delhi and set up MDH factory in a plot in Kirti Nagar in the year 1959, and the rest is history.
In 1937, he had set up his own shop selling mirrors, soap, hardware and rice. When it failed to take off, he returned back to work with his father for the brand 'Mahashian Di Hatti'. At that time, they were known as 'Degi Mirch Wale' by their customers.
He moved to India after the Partition of 1947 and arrived at Delhi with Rs 1,500 to his name.
He opened his first shop at Karol Bagh and from there, extended his business.
In the year 2017, he became the highest-paid CEO in India. He was also known to be a philanthropist who had opened many schools and hospitals.
Today, MDH offers a wide range of products and exports of a variety of spices to several countries across the world including Switzerland, Japan, the US and Canada.
Twitter condoled the death of the iconic personality and remembered his great feat and journey. Here are some of the tweets
Gulati was awarded the Padma Bhushan award, the third-highest civilian award in the country, in 2019.