Late Mahashay Dharampal Gulati is popular as the MDH masala owner. He was referred to as the spice – king of ready-to-use ground spices. Talking about MDH owner age, he was born on 27th March 1923 in Sialkot, Punjab Province, British India. Dharampal was a gentleman and extremely kind at heart. He was alive to witness two different centuries and died recently on 3rd December 2020 at Mata Chanan Devi Hospital, New Delhi.
Age
The MDH owner’s age was 97 at the time of his death. Dharampal has survived through the struggle and atrocities during British India till modern-day independent India. He was going through post COVID – 19 treatment when he died of cardiac arrest. He was the CEO of this famous and rising spice company.
Family
Born in Sialkot, present-day Pakistan, he had to drop out of school at the age of 10 and help his father in their family spice business. Our famous MDH owner continued what his father started. Gaining knowledge about Indian spices right from childhood helped him put forward the best of homegrown spices. His father’s name was Chunnilal Gulati. Back then, their shop was famous by the name Deggi Mirch Wale or Mahashian Di Hatti. Dharampal built a hospital in New Delhi and named it after his mother ‘Mata Chanan Devi’. They were 7 siblings with two brothers and 5 sisters. His brothers Satpal Gulati and Dharamveer Gulati were also businessmen.
Wife
Mahashay Dharampal Gulati or the MDH owner was married to Lilawati back then before independence in the year 1941 at the age of 18. Dharampal had a total of 8 children with Lilawati, two sons and 6 daughters. One of his sons Sanjeev Gulati died in the year 1992 and another son Rajeev Gulati is the director of paternal business MDH masala. Lilawati died in 1992 and Dharampal decided to spend the rest of his life as a widower, not marrying again.
Early life
After dropping out of school at the 5th standard, the MDH owner worked assorted jobs. The jobs include carpentry, rice trading, and selling hardware. Soon after joining the family’s very own spice business, Gulati helped expand the store to distinct places. Lahore, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib, Lyallpur, and Multan in Punjab. During his time, the business earned a lot of benefits growing with a turnover between Rs 500 and Rs 800/day. Life was hard again as the family had to forcefully spend refugee time in Amritsar. It was due to the partition of India after independence in 1947. After reaching Delhi, Dharampal bought a Tonga for Rs 650 and operated around New Delhi railway station, Qutab Road, and Karol Bagh to earn his living. With the little monetary reward, he opened a small stall to sell cane sugar which he shut down due to no prospects.
Career
Dharampal Gulati decided to restart his father’s family business in 1958. He did it by setting up a small wooden pop-up store in the Karol Bagh region of New Delhi. He restored it with the same name Mahashian Di Hatti of Sialkot or MDH as he advertised it in Pratap, a popular Hindi newspaper. At that time when most Indians ground their spices at home, his company registered the concept of ready-to-use ground spices initially. He set up his second store in Chandni Chowk, before buying land and setting up a manufacturing facility in the Kirti Nagar area of New Delhi. Dharampal was the highest-paid fast-moving consumer goods CEO in India, earning over Rs 21 crore in 2019.
Awards
Dharampal Gulati or the MDH owner was honoured with various awards like :
- India of the year at ABCI annual awards in the year 2916
- Excellence award for lifetime achievement in the year 2017
- Padma Shri award in the year 2019
Mahashay Dharampal Gulati aka MDH owner has received the award for the third-highest civilian award in India. Receiving the Padma Bhushan from Ramnath Kovind, the president of India back in the year 2019, Dharampal felt a sense of joy and achievement.
Source : By Padma Awards – India Ministry of Home Affairs (GODL-India), GODL-India
Other Facts about the MDH Owner
He was born in a Hindu family who were ardent followers of Arya Samaj. In his autobiography, ‘Masalo ka Shahenshah’, he revealed all of his childhood journey and all secrets behind his success. MDH also runs a magazine, Sandesh. This highlights the traditional family values of India. According to Jagran, Mahashay Dharampal Gulati’s net worth of Rs. 5400 crore is left behind as his legacy now.
He is the most likeable brand ambassador in the country. His popular ethnic wear is popular. His look of a turban, hook moustache, glasses and pearl necklace makes him so endearing according to brand consultants. To the life he has lived, MDH owner age had never stopped him from succeeding. You may also enjoy reading about Top 10 Successful Entrepreneurs in India in 2021 here.
