Dharampal Gulati, the owner of spices brand MDH (Mahashian Di Hatti) passed away on December 3. He was 97 years old.
Mahashay Dharmpal Gulati had been in hospital in Delhi for weeks. He died of a cardiac arrest, said reports.
Gulati was the face of ads of MDH spices. According to his biography on the MDH site, he set up a business in 1937 with help from his father and started selling mirrors, soap, hardware and rice. When the business failed, he returned to work with his father for the company Mahashian Di Hatti.
Born in Sialkot Gulati later migrated to India in September 1947 after the Partition. He opened his first store in Karol Bagh in Delhi and expanded his business from there. MDH, the company he re-established in 1959, today sells 62 products available in over 150 different packages.
The business did not just flourish in India alone but Gulati became a distributor and exporter as well. His company exports Indian spices to various parts of the world, including the UK, Europe, UAE and Canada.
Gulati was honoured with the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award in the country, in 2019.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia expressed their condolences on Gulati’s demise.
India's most inspiring entrepreneur,
MDH owner Dharm Pal Mahashay passed away this morning.
I have never met such an inspiring and lively soul. May his soul rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/SOdiqFyJvX— Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) December 3, 2020