The Deccan Education Society, Pune was founded by freedom fighters and visionaries Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Gopal Ganesh Agarkar, Vishnushastri Chiplunkar, Mahadev Ballal Namjoshi, Vaman Shivram Aptewho first established The New English School Pune (1880) and later the Deccan Education Society (DES) on 24 th October 1884 in Pune.
The DES opened more schools and colleges. The technical institutewas started in 1937in Pune. The first college in commerce i.e. BMCC was started in 1943. Bombay College was started in 1954, later named as Kirti M. Doongursee College in Mumbai. DES entered the field of management education and research by starting IMDR in 1974. The guiding principle of DES's administration is Central Direction and Local Autonomy and it is on this basis that; its institutions have progressed over the last 100 years.