From MRP to reality: How a Firecracker package could have sparked a lesson in Observation centric learning.

In the modern world, we are quick to “Google it” or, more recently, “Ask ChatGPT.” But real learning doesn’t always happen on screens. It happens when we observe, question, and experience the world around us.

I was reminded of this while conducting a session on Pricing. We were discussing how the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) system in India has, frankly, become a bit of a joke. Anything and everything is negotiable. The MRP, instead of standing for “Maximum Retail Price,” often feels like “Maximum Recorded Price”—something printed just for formality.

I gave my students an example that always puzzled me: firecrackers. Every Diwali, I noticed that the prices printed on cracker packets are outrageously high—no one actually pays those rates. I remarked in class how MRP laws are blatantly flouted and suggested that if anyone could bring a cracker package to the next session, we could have a live discussion.

As expected, most ignored the suggestion (after all, Diwali was over). But knowing Indians, I joked that some would have saved a few crackers—for post-Diwali celebrations or maybe for India’s next cricket victory!

One girl tried but couldn’t get the details. Still, I appreciated her effort at least she tried. Then, fate intervened. Yesterday, during Kartik Pournami, I heard loud cracker sounds near my home. Curious, I went downstairs and found kids from the next house bursting crackers. To their surprise, I asked if I could have the empty packages.

And there it was—proof of what I’d been saying. The total printed MRPs on just three of the firecrackers were as high as ₹3,400! Of course, no one actually pays that much. But that’s not the point.

The point is this: I confirmed something that AI couldn’t. When I asked ChatGPT earlier for pictures of firecracker packets showing MRP, it couldn’t provide even one real image. But walking down just a few steps from my house did the trick.

That’s the real lesson. In a world obsessed with virtual shortcuts and AI tools, don’t forget that real learning still happens in the real world. Step out, observe, question, and experience.

Students, remember this: If you walk that extra kilometre, you don’t just find answers—you earn insights, credibility, and stories worth telling. 

Key words: Observation, Learning, Management Education,  Experiential Learning Pricing, MRP, Indian Markets, Consumer Behaviour, Marketing, Business Insights, Firecrackers, India, ChatGPT, Artificial Intelligence,  AI and Education, Real World Learning, Life Lessons, Teaching Reflections, Critical Thinking,  Curiosity

Here comes my first blog posting

Here comes my exciting entry into the world of blogging. So far I have limited myself to popular articles in newspapers, souvenirs, and journals both popular and academic. As a voracious reader, it was always tempting to put forward your own point of view but found it very cumbersome to write and then mail and wait patiently for the editors (gods) to relent and publish your piece.

Thanks to technology and blogging things have become easy. I picked up a field that is close to my heart - Marketing. Marketing has been my passion, my area of specialization. Marketing was the area where I cut my teeth. It was marketing that taught me all the things of life and made me what I am today.

It was my passion for marketing that drove me to teach. I felt that there were lots of things that could be shared. I find my journey into academics and teaching to be great fun and a very enriching learning experience.

The blog posting will have around 500 words and there will be a posting every day. I made a mental promise to myself to be prompt and post each and every day. The sequence of topics that would be posted is

Monday: Posting would be about 5 latest concepts of marketing that will be useful for students, and professionals attending interviews. Also great fun for people who want to know the latest concepts in marketing.

Tuesday: Posting would be on consumer behaviour. This would be all about why consumers behave the way they behave or do not behave the way they are supposed to

Wednesday:  posting would be about a topic that is very close to my heart - Common sense. Common sense is something everyone knows and understands but common sense is not very common. Posting would enlighten you about common sense marketing practices that could go a long way in creating a competitive advantage.

Thursday: Posting would be about the best marketing practices of companies from around the world. It would be about cutting-edge marketing practices that made a company iconic and made them symbolic of an entire country a la Coke (USA)

Friday: The posting would be about controversies. Marketing controversies that have rocked the world and made the headlines.

Saturday: Posting would be devoted to the best marketing reads, classic books, classic articles, classic videos, and movies that a marketing buff should not miss.

Sunday: posting would be about the best advertisements and the worst advertisements that have been hitting us. The selection of advertisements could be from print, television, radio, web-based or from OOH.

All in all, I would like to share what I have with others and I want your suggestions and feedback in making this a lively and happening blog. Please drop your feedback to me on my e-mail.

Keywords: Blogging, Marketing,  Passion, Teaching, Academics, Learning, Technology, Consumer Behavior, Common sense, Best practices, Controversies, Iconic companies, Advertisements, Feedback, Engagement