The First Step
Every year at DPS Pune East is a string of celebrations — a jamboree of festivals, performances and talents where every single child finds a stage. This August, we are bringing one of those afternoons to you.
Not an admissions seminar. A celebration — music, drums, dance and hundreds of families in one room, so you can feel what your child's years here will actually be like.
Please arrive by 2:45 PM. Check-in closes as the welcome performance begins — arriving on the hour means missing it.
Capacity is 400 guests, counted as headcount rather than bookings. Registration closes 12 August 2026 so we can finalise catering, welcome packs and seating.
Ask anyone what they remember of school. Nobody names a syllabus. They name the day they danced, drummed or won.
A school year is a string of celebrations
Annual day. Sports day. Diwali, Christmas, Eid, Ganesh Chaturthi. The inter-house drumming final that ran an hour late because nobody wanted it to end. These are the days a childhood is actually made of — and they are the days you cannot read about in a brochure.
At DPS Pune East every one of them is built so that every child is in it — the dancer and the drummer, the chess player and the striker, the confident one and the quiet one. The First Step is a two-hour version of that year, staged for you.
Celebration
Learning here is punctuated by things worth dressing up for. We mark the year loudly and often.
Talents
Music, dance, drama, sport, chess, cooking, code. Every child is good at something, and we go looking for it.
Diversity
Every festival, every language, every kind of family. A DPS classroom looks like the country it sits in.
Inclusion
Nobody watches from the side. If four hundred people are drumming, four hundred people are drumming.
Two hours, seven celebrations
Hover a card to see what happens in it. Doors and the welcome desk open at 2:45 PM; the afternoon closes at 5:00 PM.
Welcome performance
DPSH BandThe DPSH band opens the afternoon. Please be seated — this is the reason for the 2:45 PM arrival.
DPSH Band
School vision & learning philosophy
Shrutika Lawand, PrincipalHow we teach, why we teach that way, and what we expect a DPS Pune East child to carry with them.
Shrutika Lawand, Principal“What can a child actually do when learning is built the right way?”
A student demonstration
Aryan Shukla, studentAryan Shukla, a student, shows the room what a future-ready education makes possible. Not a lecture — a demonstration.
Aryan Shukla · student
Interactive djembe experience
Led by Torrins · the whole room joins inTorrins drums from the stage and the whole room answers with body percussion — claps, stomps, voices. Four hundred people, one rhythm, nobody watching from a seat.
Led by Torrins · the whole room joins in
Student performances
Dance · music · drama · gymnasticsDance, music, drama and gymnastics — a jamboree of talent from students across every grade and every discipline.
Dance · music · drama · gymnastics
High tea & networking
With the full leadership teamThe part most parents remember. Meet the families your child will grow up celebrating alongside.
With the full leadership teamMeet the leadership team
Our Principal, Director and academic leads are in the room for the full two hours — not on a stage, but at your table. Bring your hardest question.
Four hundred people. One rhythm.
The djembes are played for you from the stage — and the whole room answers with body percussion. Claps, stomps, voices: parents, children, teachers and our leadership team, all keeping the same beat.
Have a go while you are here.
Meet the speakers
Shrutika Lawand
Leads academics and school culture at DPS Pune East. She will set out the learning philosophy — how the first years are structured, and what she holds her teachers to.
Siddharth Rajgarhia
Chief Learner and Director. He will speak to the long view — why DPS is building in Pune East, and what the founding community is being asked to build with us.
A year at DPS Pune East
Welcome-desk and hospitality photography still to be supplied.
Take the first step
Families welcome — one set of parents and up to two children per booking. We count guests, not bookings, so please tell us exactly who is coming.
Confirmation by email and WhatsApp, with a calendar invite
A QR code for contactless check-in (for parents who have paid the EOI form fee)
Parking instructions for Hyatt Pune and an event reminder
Registration closes 12 August 2026, three days before the event.
Event registration
The First Step · Saturday, 15 August 2026 · Hyatt Pune
Questions parents ask
What time should I arrive?
By 2:45 PM. The welcome performance begins at 3:00 PM sharp and check-in closes at that point. Arriving at 3:00 PM means queuing while the afternoon starts without you.
Who can attend?
Parents and guardians considering DPS Pune East for Nursery to Grade VI. Families are welcome — one set of parents and up to two children per booking.
Is there a registration fee?
Registration is ₹499 per booking. If you have already paid the ₹990 EOI admission-form fee, you will have received a coupon code that makes your registration complimentary.
Can children attend?
Yes — up to two children per booking, and we would love them there. The rhythm session and student performances are designed with them in mind.
How long is the event?
Two hours, 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM, with high tea and time with the leadership team at the close.
Will refreshments be served?
Yes. High tea is served at the Hyatt Pune from 4:35 PM. This is why registration closes three days ahead — so catering counts are accurate.
Will I be able to meet the Principal?
Yes. Shrutika Lawand speaks during the afternoon and stays through high tea, along with the Director and academic leads.
Can I begin the admissions process after the event?
You can. Our admissions team will be present, and you can express interest for AY 2027-28 on the day or afterwards at eoi.dpspuneeast.com. There is no obligation attached to attending.
What is the cancellation policy?
Write to admissions@dpspuneeast.com and our admissions team will help you — whether you need to cancel or pass your seats to another family.
Every celebration begins with someone showing up. Take the first step with us.
Four hundred seats. Registration closes 12 August 2026.