Dharampal Gulati, owner of MDH Masala, passed away on Thursday morning. According to reports, the 98-year-old was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Delhi. He suffered cardiac arrest on Thursday.

In 2019, Gulati was honoured with the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award in the country. According to MDH Masala, Gulati donated nearly 90 per cent of his salary to charity.

Popularly known as 'dalaji' and 'Mahashayji', Dharampal was born in 1923 in Pakistan's Sialkot. A school dropout, Dharampal joined his father's spice business at the early age. In 1947, he moved to India and stayed at a refugee camp in Amritsar. He then moved to Delhi and opened a store there. Gulati officially established the company in 1959.

Expressing his condolences, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia remembered him as “India's most inspiring entrepreneur”.