Everyone remembers the classic MDH masala ads. No matter if you were born in the 80s, 90s, or even a part of Gen Z, the MDH ad is timeless. On Thursday morning, the founder MDH, Mahashay Dharampal Gulati aka ‘Chachaji’ passed away at the age of 98.

The masala king was born in 1923 in Sialkot, Pakistan. After dropping out of school, Gulati joined his father’s spice business. He came to India after the partition with Rs 1,500 and eventually opened the shop Mahashian Di Hatti of Sialkot “DEGGI MIRCH WALE“ in Delhi. Today, MDH is a Rs 1,000 crore empire. In 2019, Gulati was conferred with the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian award for his exceptional contribution to trade and industry in the country.

For people who grew up watching the MDH chacha on their TV screens and then seeing his face on every masala box in their kitchen, his death hit a little too close to home. Naturally, they poured their tributes on Twitter, honouring Gulati’s legacy.