New Delhi, Dec 3 (IANS): Mahashay Dharampal Gulati, the owner of the spices brand 'MDH' passed away on Thursday morning.

Reports suggest that his health deteriorated recently and he was undergoing treatment at a Delhi hospital.

On Thursday early morning, he suffered cardiac and passed away.

Born in 1923 in undivided India in Sialkot, now in Pakistan, Mahashay ji, also popularly known as 'Dadaji', had a very humble beginning.

Being a school dropout, he soon joined his father's spices business at a very young age.

The flourishing family business suffered after participation and Mahashayji had to move to India and live in refugee camp in Amritsar.

But soon the family business of spices was set in a store in Delhi's Karol Bagh. From there started the journey of building a spices brand with the birth of MDH in 1959.

Ever since then the brand has now established itself as the most recognisable one in the species segment with a global presence in over 100 countries.

And the brand itself has been synonymous with Mahashayji whose presence in TV commercials sporting a flowing white moustache and wearing red turban became an iconic image on Indian television.

His decision to appear on the masala commercials for his own brand became a big commercial success story making MDH and 'Dadaji' household names in the country.

His success was not without its share of rewards with reports suggesting that Dharampal Gulati navele the highest paid CEO in the FMCG space in 2017 drawing a mind boggling salary of over Rs 20 crore, much higher than the likes doyens of India Inc. that time.

According to MDH Masala, Mahashayji used to donate 90 per cent of his salary to charity. A trust run by MDH runs several hospitals and schools in Delhi.

For his work, Mahashayji was awarded the Padma Bhushan, third highest civilian award in India in 2019.

Dharampal Gulati took MDH to new heights with its masala packets selling in crores and becoming a household necessity. MDH now has a capacity of producing 30 tonnes of spices in a day. The baton now passes to the next generation to keep the flag flying.