Mahashay Dharampal Gulati (MDH Owner) Age, Death, Wife, Family, Biography & More

Bio/Wiki
Nickname(s)	Dadaji, Mahashayji, Masala King, King of Spices
Profession	Entrepreneur
Famous For	Being the owner of MDH Spices
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 170 cm in meters- 1.70 m in feet inches- 5’ 7”
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Black
Personal Life
Date of Birth	27 March 1923 (Tuesday)
Birthplace	Sialkot, North-East Punjab, Pakistan
Date of Death	3 December 2020 (Thursday)
Place of Death	Mata Chanan Devi Hospital, New Delhi [1]Outlook
Age (at the time of death)	97 Years
Death Cause	Cardiac Arrest [2]Outlook Note: He was undergoing post-COVID treatment at Mata Chanan Devi Hospital in New Delhi. [3]Outlook
Zodiac sign	Aries
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Delhi, India
School	A primary school in Sialkot, Pakistan
College/University	Did not attend
Educational Qualification	5th-grade dropout [4]NDTV
Religion	Hinduism (Arya Samaj)
Caste	Khatri
Address (official)	9/44, Industrial Area, Kirti Nagar, Delhi – 110015
Hobbies	Doing Yoga, Wrestling, Kite Flying, Pigeon Fancying
Awards, Achievements	2016- 'Indian of the Year' at the ABCI Annual Awards 2017- Excellence Award for Lifetime Achievement 2017- Highest paid CEO in FMCG sector (₹21 crore/year). 2019- Padma Bhushan
Girls, Affairs, and More
Marital Status (at the time of death)	Widower
Marriage Date	Year- 1941
Family
Wife/Spouse	Lilawati (Died)
Children	Son- Sanjeev Gulati (Died in 1992) and Rajeev Gulati (Director MDH) Daughter(s)- 6
Parents	Father- Mahashay Chunni Lal Gulati (Founder of MDH) Mother- Mata Chanan Devi
Siblings	Brother(s)- Satpal Gulati (Younger, Businessman), Dharamveer Gulati Sister(s)- 5
Favourite Things
Cuisine	Punjabi
Style Quotient
Car Collection	Chrysler Limo
Assets/Properties	80% stake in MDH, owns 15 factories, 20 schools, 1 hospital
Money Factor
Salary/Income (approx.)	Rs. 21 crore/year (as of 2017)
Net Worth (approx.)	Rs. 500 crore (as of 2014) [5]NRI Achievers

Some Lesser Known Facts About Mahashay Dharampal Gulati

• Gulati was born into a middle-class Punjabi joint family of Pakistan, where his father used to sell spices at a shop called ‘Mahashian Di Hatti’ (Deggi Mirch Wale) that he started in 1919.

• His family was very religious, and they were ardent followers of ‘Arya Samaj.’

• He was never interested in studies and left his schooling at the age of 10 (when he was in the 5th standard) as he took more interest in assisting his father at his shop.

• Looking at his interest in business, his father sent him for training at an accounting school, where he learned the trade skills for around two years. When he joined his father’s shop, he initially used to sell “Mehandi” on the streets and used to earn around Rs. 20/day.

• During India’s struggle for independence from the Britishers, he used to take part in communist activities of protests.

• On 7 September 1947, after the Indo-Pak partition, Mahashay, along with his family, migrated from Pakistan to India and took shelter in a refugee camp in Amritsar. Later, Mahashay, along with his brother-in-law, came to Delhi in search of work.

• In Delhi, he initially used to live at his niece’s house in Karol Bagh, which had no water supply, no electricity, and no toilet facilities.

• When he moved to Delhi, his father gave him Rs. 1500 out of which he purchased a Tanga (a horse-drawn carriage) worth Rs. 650 and used to take passengers from Connaught Place to Karol Bagh.

• This profession didn’t prove sufficient enough for his livelihood, and the people often insulted him. So, he sold his ‘Tanga’ and built a small shop in Karol Bagh in 1948 to restart his old family business of spices.
  

  Mahashay Dharampal Gulati – MDH old shop

• After initial success, he rented another shop at Chandni Chowk in 1953.
  

  Mahashay Dharampal Gulati with Raj Kapoor in the 1950s

• In 1954, he founded ‘Roopak Stores’ in Karol Bagh, India’s first modern spice store in Delhi at that time. Later, he handed over ‘Roopak Stores’ to his younger brother, Satpal Gulati.
  

  Satpal Gulati – Roopak

• In 1959, he purchased a plot in Kirti Nagar to set up his own factory, where he founded the ‘MDH Spices’ empire or ‘Mahashian Di Hatti Limited,’ which means “the shop of a magnanimous man” in Punjabi.
  

  MDH shop in Karol Bagh, Delhi

• Under his leadership, MDH went on to become one of the biggest brands in the category of spices in India, and even in his 90s, Dharampal Gulati used to endorse MDH products.

• Reportedly, MDH exports more than 60 products to more than 100 countries, such as Switzerland, the USA, Japan, Canada, Europe, South East Asia, U.A.E., and Saudi Arabia.
  

  MDH Spices

• He used to run a trust ‘Mahashay Chuni Lal Charitable Trust,’ the trust runs a hospital with 250 beds and another mobile hospital for slum dwellers. The trust also runs 20 schools out of which 4 are in Delhi. Need-based financial help is also available for social organizations from the trust.
  

  Mahashay Dharampal Gulati – Mata Chanan Devi Hospital in Janakpuri, New Delhi

• MDH runs a magazine called ‘Sandesh,’ which highlights the traditional family values of India.
  

  Sandesh magazine

• In 2017, he was the highest-paid CEO in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector, with an annual salary of Rs. 21 crores.

• In his autobiography, he revealed the details from his early childhood to the secret behind his success.
  

  Mahashay Dharampal Gulati’s autobiography

• Here’s an interesting video about the life-journey of Mahashay Dharampal Gulati: