‘Mahashay’ Dharmpal Gulati: From Refugee Camp to Padma Bhushan

Known as the “King of Spice,” MDH Patriarch ‘Mahashay’ Dharmpal Gulati passed away at a Delhi Hospital on Thursday.

‘Mahashay’ Dharmpal Gulati

(Photo: The Quint)

(Note: An earlier version of this video had an image of Mr. and Mrs. Balraj Bahri Malhotra and not Mr. Dharampal Gulati and his wife. We apologise for the grave error! The same has been fixed.)

Video Editor: Abhishek Sharma

'Mahashay' Dharmpal Gulati, the owner of spice brand MDH, passed away at the age of 98 on Thursday, 3 December. He was admitted to Delhi's Mata Chanan Devi Hospital, where he was reportedly undergoing treatment for the past few weeks.

Known as the “King of Spice,” ‘Mahashay’ Dharmpal Gulati was one of India’s leading spices manufacturers, and leaves behind a legacy of hard work and determination.

Born in Sialkot

Gulati was born in Sialkot in today’s Pakistan, in 1923. The MDH company, too, finds its origins in Pakistan, where Gulati’s father Chunni Lal Gulati, opened a small spice shop by the name of "Mahashiya di Hatti" in 1919.

Gulati dropped out of school in the fifth standard and set up a small business with the help of his father in 1937. However, he later closed his own business and took over his father’s spice business.

Lived in Migrant Camps After Partition

Following partition, the Gulati family migrated to India, where they spent a few years in a refugee camp in Amritsar and later moved to Delhi.

Gulati started a shop in Karol Bagh in Delhi, which at present has over 15 factories across India and exports nearly 50 different varieties of spices across the world.

Gulati was conferred with Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian honour of the country, the for his contributions in 2019. 

'Mahashay' Donated 90% of Salary to Charity

Dharampal Gulati was once India’s highest-paid consumer product CEO with over Rs 21 crore as salary in 2017. He also held 80 percent stake in MDH.

Even at the age of 90 he was actively involved in the functioning of the company even in his 90s and was known for making daily rounds to the factories.

In an interview with The Economic Times in 2017, he said, “My motivation to work is being sincere in product quality sold at affordable prices. And nearly 90 per cent of my salary goes to charity in my personal capacity.”

Gulati emerged as a brand face for the company over the years driving the sales as the elderly figure who forced his way into all their advertisements. The day to day operation is now handled by Gulati son and his six daughters.