The Inspiring Story Of The Founder Of MDH Masale Mr. Mahashay Dharam Pal.
It's hard to ignore ‘that old man' in the MDH advertisements. Nearing nineties, he still makes sure that he stars in every MDH television commercial. And not bad, as his perseverance has immortalized him as the face of MDH, one of the biggest indigenous Indian businesses in the world. While most people would know about MDH, its founder, Mr. Mahashay Dharam Pal is hardly talked about. Here, his rags to riches story will make you believe that giving up is never an option.
The India-Pakistan partition ruined the life of millions of families. Mr Dharam Pal's family was based in Sialkot (Pakistan). The partition forced the family to move to India, leaving everything they ever owned to never return. While in Pakistan, Mr Dharam Pal's father sold spices for a living, operating out of a small shop called ‘Mahashian Di Hatti'.
Dharam Pal had given up studies while in 5th standard to assist his father at the shop. Then came the fateful year of 1947 and everything changed, forever. On September 7, Dharam Pal's family reached a refugee shelter in Amritsar, only to move permanently to Delhi within a few days. The family made an abandoned flat with no water, electricity or even a toilet, their new shelter. Since nobody knew what to do next, Dharam Pal borrowed Rs 1,500 from his father and bought a tonga (horse driven carriage/rickshaw). He charged two aana (equivalent of 1/16th of a rupee today) from Connaught Place to Karol Bagh.
Forced into poverty, there were days Dharam Pal had no passengers. Some even hurled abuses at him. Very soon, Dharam Pal realized that he was way more than this.
He sold the tonga, rented a shop, named it Mahashiyan Di Hatti (MDH) and started doing what he knew best—selling spices. Years passed, hard work went up and misery started to withdraw. The family didn't have to worry about having three meals a day. The ‘spice maker from Sialkot' was now getting popular by the word of mouth. Local fame brought in more business and more business brought in more money.The struggle was now over, forever. In 1953, another MDH outlet was started in Chandni Chowk and, in 1959, the family bought their first legally owned plot in Kirti Nagar to start a manufacturing unit. Fast forward to 2016, what started in a small shop in Karol Bagh is now a ‘spice manufacturing juggernaut' that even sells to countries abroad. Today, Mahashay Dharam Pal stands tall on a multi-million dollar empire and as an inspiration to millions.
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