A bicycle, Ayurveda and a dream: The story behind 142-year-old Dabur

In 1884, when physician SK Burman travelled on a bicycle to deliver medicines to hundreds suffering from cholera and malaria, he envisioned establishing an Ayurvedic company that would be affordable for the poor and reliable for everyone. That company, known as Dabur, later became one of the best-selling Ayurvedic brands in the country.

In the heart of Calcutta (now Kolkata), some 140 years ago in the late 19th century, a doctor surrounded by plants, roots and herbs was thinking about a simple question, how could he cure patients who lived in villages far away from hospitals and modern medical facilities?

Dr SK Burman, a qualified Ayurvedic physician, found the answer in 1884 when he founded Dabur. His vision was not merely to build a business but to make affordable Ayurvedic medicines accessible to ordinary Indians suffering from diseases like cholera, malaria and constipation, illnesses that claimed thousands of lives during the colonial era.

Known affectionately as "Dakhtar" (Doctor) among Bengalis, Dr. Burman prepared medicines using traditional Ayurvedic knowledge and distributed them personally, often travelling by bicycle to reach patients across towns and villages. His remedies soon earned the trust of the common people, particularly those who could not afford expensive Western medicines.

More than a century later, Dabur would become one of India's largest consumer goods companies. While its name remains synonymous with Ayurveda, it has also found itself under regulatory scrutiny.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has, on multiple occasions, asked the company to refrain from using the "100% Pure" claim on certain products, including its honey, reflecting the increasing scrutiny of health and food marketing claims in modern India.

But before becoming a multinational corporation, Dabur was simply the dream of one doctor who believed India's ancient medicinal traditions could serve millions.

A BRAND EMERGED FROM RURAL INDIA WITH A NATIVE NAME

The name Dabur itself carries the story of its founder.

Bengalis lovingly called Dr SK Burman "Dakhtar", meaning doctor. Rather than choosing an English or Sanskrit name, the founder decided to create a uniquely Indian identity by combining "Da" from Dakhtar and "Bur" from Burman.

Thus, Dabur was born.

The name reflected exactly what the company stood for—an Indian doctor, Indian medicine and Indian consumers.

At a time when most established medicines in British India came from foreign companies, Dabur represented something different. It built trust not through advertising but through word of mouth. Villagers recommended the medicines to neighbours.

Families passed on the names of Dabur's remedies from one generation to another. Long before branding became a science, Dabur had already built one of India's strongest healthcare identities.

FROM A SMALL CLINIC TO SCIENTIFIC MANUFACTURING

As demand for Dabur's medicines increased, the family realised that traditional preparation methods alone would not be enough.

In 1919, Dr. Burman's son C.L. Burman established one of the company's first dedicated manufacturing and research facilities. It marked a major shift from handcrafted medicines to organised production.

Importantly, C.L. Burman believed Ayurveda could evolve with science rather than compete against it. He introduced machinery into production while continuing to preserve traditional Ayurvedic formulations.

This combination of ancient knowledge and modern manufacturing would later become Dabur's defining philosophy.

Production became faster, quality became more consistent and Dabur's medicines reached far beyond Bengal.

During the 1940s, Dabur entered an entirely new category by introducing Amla Hair Oil, one of India's earliest branded hair oils made using Indian gooseberry.

The product would eventually become one of the company's biggest successes and help establish Dabur beyond medicines.

WHEN CALCUTTA BECAME DIFFICULT FOR BUSINESS

The 1960s and 1970s brought one of the biggest turning points in Dabur's history.

West Bengal witnessed growing political instability, labour unrest and the rise of the Naxalite movement. Industrial strikes became common and many businesses faced increasing operational challenges.

Several major business houses, including the Birla Group, shifted operations outside Calcutta as industries struggled to function smoothly.

The Burman family eventually made the difficult decision to relocate.

In 1972, Dabur shifted its headquarters to New Delhi, a move that would shape the company's next phase of growth.

The relocation placed Dabur closer to northern India's expanding consumer markets while providing greater stability for manufacturing and expansion.

What began in the lanes of Calcutta would now be managed from India's capital.

By the 1980s and 1990s, Dabur had evolved into much more than an Ayurvedic medicine company.

It steadily expanded into personal care, oral hygiene, health supplements and packaged foods.

Products like Dabur Chyawanprash, Dabur Honey, Dabur Red Toothpaste, Amla Hair Oil, Lal Tail, Pudin Hara and Hajmola became household names across India.

Perhaps no product captured the company's understanding of Indian consumers better than Hajmola.

Launched as a digestive tablet inspired by traditional Ayurvedic ingredients such as black salt, cumin and herbs, Hajmola blurred the line between medicine and candy.

Meanwhile, Dabur also began expanding internationally, entering markets across the Middle East, Africa, South Asia and later Europe and North America, catering especially to the Indian diaspora seeking familiar Ayurvedic products.

The journey that began on a bicycle in undivided Bengal eventually reached every corner of the country. Rooted in Ayurveda and Indian traditions, Dabur grew into a brand many came to see as India's own.

Its story, marked by innovation, controversies, herbs, plants and the determination of Dr SK Burman, also reminds us of a time when affordable healthcare was a luxury for the poor. One doctor's vision made it accessible to millions.

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