Fergusson College ("FC") Road
The road gets its name from Fergusson College, an educational institute established in 1885. Till 50 years ago, Fergusson College road was the start of the Mumbai-Pune Road (Bombay-Poona Road). It used to start at Deccan Gymkhana and curve its way right up to the Old Governor's house into Aundh. Presently, the road starts at the Agriculture College - Police Parade Ground junction and ends at Deccan Gymkhana.
Youngsters throng the road during the day and evening for the latest in fashion trends. The traffic is chaotic and undisciplined on weekends and on peak hours everyday.
Another institute on the road is the Department of Communication and Foreign Languages - Ranade Institute, offering courses in journalism, e-learning and foreign languages. It offers courses to learn foreign languages including German, French, Japanese, Russian and Spanish. The institute canteen, with its unusual old world look complete with wooden desks and benches is popular with ex-students and current students alike.
In addition, FC Road is also the venue of the British Council Library. The Times of India, Pune office stands parallel to the library.
Chains like Barista, Cafe Coffee Day, Subway, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Monginis have outlets here. Cafe Good Luck, one of Pune's oldest restaurants is also located here. Cafe Good Luck has been serving its brand of tea and bun-maska since 1935. The famous twin restaurants Roopali and Vaishali, both serve Udupi-style vegetarian food. During daytime, Vaishali continues to be a hangout place for Fergusson College students for 30+ years. In the evening, it becomes more of a family restaurant. Vaishali is possibly the most popular place on FC Road (apart from Fergusson College itself) and one of the most famous landmarks of Pune. There are various other good restaurants like Chaitaniya Parathas, Kadhai, Venky's Chicken, By The Way, Yana Sizzlers, Vadeshwar and many more who are famous through the city for good service and better quality of hygienic food.
Veteran Actor Dev Anand used to visit Lucky Restaurant situated here while he was a struggling artist in this city during 1950s. Lucky restaurant was demolished in 2006.
Popular Book House, International Book Service, Archies, Venus Traders, Super Shoppe and Sagar Arcade are some of the prime commercial establishments. Hong Kong Lane is another attraction, a narrow lane with small shops on either side, popular for some inexpensive items like bags, belts, wallets, and junk jewelry. You can also find a lot of stalls here stocked up with the latest fashion trends in clothes and footwear for both men & women.
In addition, the temples of the 'Padukas', that is, the wooden sandals of the saints, Sant Dnayeshwar Maharaj at Dnayeshwar Paduka Chowk and Sant Tukaram Maharaj at the Tukaram Paduka Chowk stand on this road.
The residential rates in this locality are probably one of the most expensive in Pune at present.
Read more about this topic: Roads In Pune
Famous quotes containing the words college and/or road:
“Jerry: She’s one of those third-year girls that gripe my liver.
Milo: Third-year girls?
Jerry: Yeah, you know, American college kids. They come over here to take their third year and lap up a little culture. They give me a swift pain.
Milo: Why?
Jerry: They’re officious and dull. They’re always making profound observations they’ve overheard.”
—Alan Jay Lerner (1918–1986)
“My father and mother in 1817 were forty-nine days on the road with their emigrant wagons [from Vermont] to Ohio. More than two days for each hour that I spent in the same journey.”
—Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)