Founders
The people behind Hari Varsha
Hari Varsha began with two people who believed in faith, hard work and giving back: Subhash Sharma and his mentor, Mahashaya Dharampal Gulati.
Subhash Sharma
September 1956 to September 2020
Entrepreneur, sportsman and much-loved member of his community.
Subhash Sharma was the leading founder of Hari Varsha. He was a successful businessman who set up one of the largest incense plants in North India, and a warm, generous person whose stories people still share today.
As a young man he was a competitive mud wrestler (kushti) and won several championships at Delhi University. His love of sport stayed with him for life, and he sponsored many local sports meets, including cricket and other games.
He felt that the education system in India was not built to support athletes, so he donated to schools in backward areas to give young people a better start. He also supported local communities and helped women from underprivileged families earn a livelihood. That mission lives on at Hari Varsha, where our packaging department is run by women.
- Incense makerBuilt one of the largest incense plants in North India
- SportsmanDelhi University mud wrestling champion
- Community builderSupported local communities and poor women
- Education supporterDonated to schools in backward areas
Mahashay Dharampal Gulati
27 March 1923 to 3 December 2020
Known to millions as Dadaji, and a business guru to Subhash Sharma.
Mahashay Dharampal Gulati was born in Sialkot to parents who followed Arya Samaj. He left school early and joined his family's spice business, Mahashian Di Hatti, better known as MDH.
After Partition he arrived in Delhi in 1947 with very little. He drove a tonga for a living, then opened a small shop in Karol Bagh. Over the decades he led MDH from that shop to one of India's best-known spice brands, and he became a familiar face to households across the country.
Subhash Sharma worked at MDH and learned the business from him. Together they founded Hari Varsha, with devotional products made using Mahashay Dharampal Gulati's lifelong formulas.
- Born Sialkot, 1923
- Honour Padma Bhushan, 2019
- Education Founded 20 schools for primary and secondary education
- Giving Reported to have donated about 90 percent of his salary to charity
Two founders, one purpose
Hari Varsha brings together a mentor's formulas and a student's drive. Every stick of incense and every packet of hawan samagri carries that shared belief: devotion should be pure, and success should be shared.
Mrs. Sushma Sharma
Chief Executive, Hari Varsha
Carrying the family legacy forward with care, craft and creativity.
Today, Hari Varsha is led by Mrs. Sushma Sharma, Subhash Sharma's wife and the daughter of Mahashay Dharampal Gulati. She brings more than 40 years of experience in the food and manufacturing industries, and a gift for designing products with meticulous attention to detail.
Growing up in a family of spice makers, she learned the family formulas first-hand and uses them to create blends that are loved by people everywhere. That same expertise now goes into Hari Varsha's Hawan Samagri blends, made for your daily Hawan.
She is also bringing fresh ideas to incense. Her bamboo-free incense collection pairs the clean burn of pure-paste sticks with creative designs, including dance-inspired incense sticks that turn a daily ritual into something to enjoy.
- 40+ yearsIn food and manufacturing
- Family formulasBlends loved by the masses
- Careful designProducts made with meticulous detail
- New ideasBamboo-free and dance-inspired incense
Her work also supports the community: she funds a school in Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh, in her husband's memory, with a portion of Hari Varsha's proceeds. Read about the school.
Be part of our story
Bring home blends made with family formulas, careful craft and a purpose beyond business.
Shop NowMemories of our founders
Moments of celebration, blessings and shared purpose. These photographs remember the bond between Shri Subhash Sharma and Mahashay Dharampal Gulati, and the family spirit behind Hari Varsha.
