Mahashian di Hatti: MDH. Mahashay ji, Shah ji for short, was impossibly eccentric but the germ of professional integrity he grew up with, never left him in 98 years. There were very few ready-made masalas by MDH with salt added. Others sell salt at the price of spices! He didn't

It is said that in Pak, his father used to drive to customers' homes in a tonga with a mortar & pestle and pound masalas for them. That is the humble beginnings of MDH. From there to a Series 7 in which Shah ji was driven around in - long way!

I tried to meet him in the HQ in Kirti Nagar, Delhi. He only wanted me to take his picture dozens of times. I got no info whatever! One of his sons in law (a former chef) pre-deceased Shahji. I have been using MDH 'Kashmiri' mirch for 40 years that I can remember. The flavour/

colour/spiciness has NEVER varied, EVER. And to think that it has not even been grown in Kashmir, but in Bedgi, Karnataka, where Kashmiri chilli seeds had been planted decades ago in fields owned and operated by MDH. Even employees' kids' schools are MDH run!

Whenever I go to a supermart's spice shelves, all I see are johnny-come-lately brands: all colourful packing. MDH doesn't do so well in ginormous supermarts because plain boring cardboard single-colour boxes. That could well change with the new boss/es.

Thank you for the spices, Mahashay ji. And most of all, your own spicy-as-hell persona! There ain't gonna be another like you. That's for sure