Dharampal Gulati, the 97-year-old owner of MDH Spices and the face of the company’s advertisements, passed away early on Thursday.
Popularly called ‘King of Spices,’ Gulati was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Delhi for the last three weeks. He suffered a cardiac arrest on Thursday, news agency PTI said, citing reports.
Gulati was born on March 27, 1923, in Sialkot in present-day Pakistan. He dropped out of school before completing Class V. He then set up a small business of mirrors with the help of his father in 1937. He did not pursue it for long, however, and worked through a variety of businesses, including soaps, hardware, cloth and rice trading, before joining his father’s spices business called ‘Mahashian Di Hatti’.
He came to India in September 1947 after Partition with a total of ₹1,500. According to the company’s website, Gulati purchased a tonga for ₹650 and started ferrying people in Delhi at two annas per passenger. He later bought a small wooden shop in Karol Bagh, New Delhi, and re-started his family business of ground spices, which now has a turnover of about ₹1,500 crore.
Gulati was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2019.
Reacting to the news, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, “Dharm Pal ji was very inspiring personality. He dedicated his life for the society. God bless his soul.”
Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia said, “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.”
Cabinet Minister Piyush Goyal tweeted in Hindi that he was saddened by the passing of Gulati, who has “spread the fragrance of India’s spices all across the world”. He added that with entrepreneurship and self-reliance, Gulati established a benchmark for social work.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted on the “passing away of one of India’s most respected businessmen...In Spite of starting with a small business, he made a mark for himself. He was very active in social work and remained active till the last moment. I express my condolences to his family.”