Dharampal Gulati is the face behind MDH Masale. While many know him through famous advertisements of MDH very few are aware about the story behind MDH Masale. Dharampal Gulati was born on March 27 1923 in Sialkot (now in Pakistan). He grew up in a family that ran Mahashian Di Hatti a well-known spice shop also called ‘Deggi Mirch Wale’. Though he belonged to a business family he dropped out of school at the age of 10 and did various jobs like carpentry rice trading and selling hardware. Lateron he joined his father’s spice business. The year 1947 was unlucky for the family. As India and Pakistan partition happened and riots broke out which forced the Gulati family to flee to India. They left behind everything their home business and wealth and arrived in Delhi as refugees. Starting With Just Rs 1500 When Dharampal Gulati reached Delhi he had only Rs 1500 in his pocket. He initially invested Rs 650 in a tonga (horse cart) and started ferrying passengers across the city. However his passion was in the spice business. Realizing this he sold the tonga and used the remaining money to rent a small 14x9 feet shop in Karol Bagh where he restarted his family business under the same name Mahashian Di Hatti (MDH). The family lived in a house without basic facilities. But Dharampal focused on his business and set MDH apart in the market. Building MDH Empire Dharampal expanded MDH beyond Delhi with a premium quality and made MDH a household name all over India. Now a global brand exporting over 60 products to nearly 100 countries. MDH is now a big player in the spice industry holding a 12% market share in India second to Everest Spices. Dharampal Gulati also believed in giving back to society. He did philanthropy work like building MDH International School Mahashay Dharampal Vidya Mandir and a 200-bed charitable hospital offering free healthcare to the underprivileged. Through Mahashay Chunnilal Charitable Trust he also contributed to education and mobile healthcare units for slum dwellers. During the COVID-19 pandemic Dharampal donated to the Chief Minister’s relief fund and provided 7500 PPE kits to frontline workers proving his commitment to society. In 2019 Dharampal Gulati was honored with the Padma Bhushan India’s third-highest civilian award for his contributions to the food industry and social welfare. Even in his 90s he remained actively involved in his business. At 94 he became the highest-paid CEO in the Indian FMCG sector surpassing industry veterans like Adi Godrej (Godrej Consumer) and Sanjiv Mehta (Hindustan Unilever). On December 3 2020 Dharampal Gulati passed away at the age of 97 leaving behind an inspiring legacy.