NEW DELHI: Mahashay Dharampal Gulati, the owner of spice company MDH Masala, passed away on Thursday morning due to a cardiac arrest at a Delhi hospital. Clad often in signature red turban and white pearls, the Masala King was the face and brand ambassador of his company. The 98-year-old went on to feature on several television commercials and became one of the country’s most recognisable faces. The MDH jingle also made an indelible impression.
However, in the business community and people who knew him well, Gulati will always be remembered as the dedicated person who built an empire from scratches. Even at the age of 90, Gulati was said to have actively participated in his company’s day to day operations. Born in Sialkot (Pakistan) in 1923, he left school before he could have completed fifth class to help his father Chunni Lal Gulati who had founded Mahashian Di Hatti (MDH) in 1919.
Dharampal came to India after partition with just Rs 1,500 in his hand. Initially, he is started work as a horse-cart puller but soon gathered enough to open a spice shop in Karol Bagh and later in Chandni Chowk. Slowly and steadily, he turned it into an Rs 1,000 crore empire, globally known as MDH Masala today.
It has a strong global presence with offices in Dubai and London, and in India it is only second to S Narendrakumar’s Everest Spices. Gulati himself was one of India’s highest paying executives and took Rs 21 crore salary in 2017. He, however, has donated nearly 90 per cent of his income to charity.
Gulati’s entry to fame was rather comical and accidental. Coming to his popularity, ‘Mahashay Ji’, was no less than a Bollywood Star. He was often compared with Queen Elizabeth on social media as the duo, despite being 90-plus, enjoyed a very strong recall value.