Student life on Fergusson College Road, India

Fergusson College Road in Pune, India, is locally known as FC Road. It’s a popular student area bustling with restaurants, street food and shopping. Named for its proximity to Fergusson College, FC Road runs through the heart of Pune, attracting huge crowds every day of the week. 

As a student at Sir Parshurambhau College of Science, Arts and Commerce, I spend a lot of my time on FC Road. Here’s why it’s a great place to spend time as a student: 

The ultimate shopping destination 

FC Road is renowned as a shopping destination for students and locals. Bargaining is key here, especially on the market stalls where sellers, which we call street hawkers, yell bargain prices into the streets for shoppers to barter. 

There’s a variety of clothing shops, from small affordable stores to higher quality boutiques and modest clothing retailers. As well as fashion, you can shop for homeware, phone accessories and perfumes at affordable prices. 

On the market stalls you can buy sunglasses, belts, bags, scarves and much more. There’s something for all budgets on FC Road. 

A paradise for food lovers 

Whether you’re looking to eat out with friends, or snacking while you shop, you’ll find something to eat at every time of day on FC Road. Café Goodluck is one of our oldest Iranian cafes, established in 1935. It’s one of the most popular breakfast spots among students, serving up Maska paav (here, paav means soft bread and Maska is the Indian term for soft butter) and Irani chai (tea blended with the Iranian spices.) 

Vaishali and Wadeshwar are two of the busiest restaurants on the street, for South Indian delicacies like dosa, uttappam, idli and sambhar. I love to order the Mysore dosa or the cheese and onion uttappam when I visit. 

Apart from Indian cuisines, FC Road also offers western cuisines and you can even visit Pizza Hut, Yolkshire and Momo’s Corner. I love the famous ice-cream store, Cream California, which serves tasty flavours like blueberry, chocolate and vanilla, and my favourite coffee spot, Brew Culture, provides a much-needed caffeine hit between classes.  

There are many more food spots at reasonable prices with lots of different options to choose from. 

Accommodation in the centre of student life 

As well as fulfilling all your shopping and eating needs, FC Road and the adjoining streets provide affordable living spaces for students. While many of the universities in Pune provide accommodation facilities for students, they’re often further away from the city and schools usually split the male and female students into different blocks. 

As an alternative, students can also stay in single or shared apartments, or private hostels within the city centre. The landlords are usually local residents and friendly enough to accommodate and rent their living space at student-friendly rates. 

Many of my college friends rent apartments on FC Road and enjoy it more than living in campus accommodation as they feel they have more freedom and are closer to amenities. 

A space for fitness and wellbeing 

FC Road is camouflaged with green spaces and ancient trees providing a shaded, breezy place to stroll in the warm weather. Many people jog along FC Road because it’s so picturesque and there are government-implemented cycle paths and outdoor benches for relaxing too.  

You can literally study in nature’s cocoon and take a break from classes to relax in the sun. In addition, FC Road has many parks and playgrounds for both children and for adults to enjoy sports and outdoor gym equipment. 

A street for celebrations 

From Dussehra to Diwali and Christmas to New Year – celebrations are always taking place on FC Road, even for sporting victories. You’ll see balloons in the air, people waving sparklers, amazing fireworks and live music. It’s a sight to see, as friends and family meet and celebrate along the street. 

As a student, you never feel lonely because there are always gatherings and events where you can meet people and enjoy the culture. Pune has a great heritage of art and there are often art exhibitions, live performances and poetry readings along the street too. 

Fergusson College Road is fun, affordable and a great place to relax. I love living here and think FC Road is one of the greatest student areas in Pune, India.