Foundation

Sir James Fergusson, Governor of Bombay

After the suppression of the Indian Rebellion of 1857, reformers in India felt a pressing need to modernise the education system in order to advance the cause of reform. Prominent nationalists, such as Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Vishnushastri Chiplunkar and Gopal Ganesh Agarkar led efforts to found a school designed for the general advancement of the Indian public; leading to the creation of the New English School. Inspired by the school's success, the Deccan Education Society was formed in 1884; a year later the Fergusson College was established. An area of 37 acres (150,000 m²) of land was donated for one rupee on a 99-year lease by Shirole, the erstwhile Patil of the village of Bhamburde on the west bank of the Mutha River.^[15]

The college was inaugurated by William Wordsworth, a namesake grandson of the British poet and principal of Elphinstone College in Bombay. Other leaders such as R. G. Bhandarkar and Mahadev Govind Ranade played a part in its construction.^[16] The college was named after the then Governor of Bombay, Sir James Fergusson. The British colonial government in Bombay allowed the college to remain autonomous, giving it a free hand in education.

In 1935, during the celebrations marking 50 years of the college's founding, Sir CV Raman noted,

… Standing here today, I feel that history has been written in Poona- history of self-help, history of self-reliance, history of great and constructive national effort- that history has been written in Poona, has been written on this very spot …

Mahatma Gandhi, in a message to then Principal Dr. Mahajani wrote,

Who will fail to be enthused over the noble record of the service rendered by the D. E. Society and the Fergusson College to the cause of education?^[17]

Bal Gangadhar Tilak was one of the founders of the college

Post-independence

Post-1947, Fergusson College has produced leaders in the fields of politics, academia, literature and art. Dr. Rajendra Prasad, India's first president, was the chief guest of the platinum jubilee function. He said on the occasion,

The Fergusson College was established at a time when the attitude of the Indian masses towards higher education of the western type was yet in a formative stage and when facilities for such education for the generality of Indian students were inadequate… It was an enterprise, which benefited the Nation without offending or alienating the then rulers of India. Fergusson College is the foremost fruit of that effort.^[18]

In 1985, the college completed its centenary. Rajiv Gandhi, the then prime minister was the president of the ceremony. PV Narasimharao, India's 12th prime minister and former student, said,

This college, born like a twin of the Indian National Congress, has always kept abreast of the country's history. It has produced political leaders of all hues of the political spectrum including ultras and infras, if I may say so, administrators, eminent scholars, researchers, writers, sportsmen and many other categories of celebrities, which any country can be proud of.^[19]

A two-part history of the college was written by Dr. VM Bachal, former principal. The book, Vatchal Sawashe Varshanchi (A Journey of 125 Years) was published in January 2010.^[20]

In 2018, Fergusson was given University status by the Ministry of Human resource development.

Association with Indian politics

Fergusson College has been given many epithets by political leaders, including 'cradle of Indian polity' and 'twin of the Congress'.^[19]

The Main Building

The founders of Fergusson College, most notably Tilak and Gokhale, were leaders of the Indian National Congress in its early stages from 1885 to 1920. In fact, most historians divide the history of the INC into two eras — the Tilak Era and the Gandhi era.^[21] The college has produced as alumni, notable Congress leaders including Vishwanath Pratap Singh and PV Narasimha Rao, Jivatram Kripalani and Babubhai J Patel. (See comprehensive list below.)

Among the founders, Agarkar and Namjoshi were early Socialists of Maharashtra.^[22] Alumni such as Vitthal Ramji Shinde, S.M. Joshi, and Nanasaheb Gore were eminent socialists, inside and outside the Congress fold. The Samyukta Maharashtra Movement, founded to fight for Maharashtra's statehood, included several alumni such as Prahlad Keshav Atre, SM Joshi and Gore. V.D Savarkar, in 1902, enrolled in Fergusson College. As a young man, he was inspired by the new generation of radical political leaders — Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal and Lala Lajpat Rai — along with the political struggle against the partition of Bengal and the rising Swadeshi campaign. After completing his degree, nationalist activist Shyamji Krishna Varma helped Vinayak to go to England to study law, on a scholarship.^[23]

Fergusson is the only institution in India to have in its alumni two Indian prime ministers.^[11][12][13]

Buildings

Department of History

Staff offices

The Main Building is at the inner entrance of the college. Built entirely in Victorian style, the two-storey structure houses the central office and the principals' chambers. The Statistics and Psychology Departments lie to the east of the main building; the Economics Department lie to the west. The computer science and the life science buildings are also to the west.

On the southern side are the RP Paranjpye building, Pittie Chemistry building, Botany, Zoology, Geology, Electronics and Physics departments. The building overlooks the central garden to the north and has two lecture halls and the staffs' chambers. There are 55 laboratories and 51 lecture halls in all.

NM Wadia Amphitheatre

NM Wadia Amphitheatre

The three-storeyed amphitheatre building, to the west of the central garden, has Victorian-Gothic influences. Apart from several lecture halls, the building houses an auditorium with a capacity of 1,000 people. In 2012, this amphitheatre celebrated its 100 years.^[25]

Bai Jerbai Wadia Library

Bai Jerbai Wadia Library was built in 1929 by industrialists Sir Cusrow Wadia and Sir Ness Wadia in memory of their mother. The Main Library on the ground floor has more than 300,000 books and research journals.^[26] Research scholars and book-lovers have donated their collections.

The first floor (the floor above the ground floor) of the library serves as a Reading Hall for students and accommodates 400 students. The floors above this floor are not publicly accessible without prior arrangement and house books, manuscripts, and articles of historic and cultural importance. The library has a collection of statues and posters, dedicated to national leaders and educationalists. The building was extended in 1955, with government grants and then in 1982 with grants from the Central government.

Kimaya

Kimaya is an open-air theatre on the north side of the campus. It was conceived by litterateur and alumni PL Deshpande on his return from a visit to Japan. It encompasses elements of modern architecture and is built without beams. It has eight walls fused together, which function as trusses.

Botanical Gardens

The 2-acre (8,100 m²) Botanical Gardens on the campus were founded in 1902 by a teacher, Professor Shevade. Botany students from the college planted specimens here, including Elaeocarpus, Araucaria and Mahogany. In 1961, the garden was destroyed when the nearby Panshet dam was breached. Years later, it was reinstated by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), the Association of Herbal Drugs, and Deccan Education Society. Some plants found there are Saraca Indica (Sita Ashok), the bark of which is used to heal skin diseases and as a tonic; and Terminalia arjuna, the extract of which is used to treat jaundice.^[27]

Gymkhana and grounds

Cricket, hockey and football are played on the main ground which has a drainage system, enabling play during monsoons. Two asphalted basketball courts are next to the main ground. A second ground, to the south, has courts for volleyball and handball as well as facilities for Indian sports like Kabaddi, Kho-Kho and Mallakhamb. Services for badminton and other indoor games are available, and the Gymnasium Building provides training for boxing, wrestling, judo, weight lifting and yoga. The college has tennis courts on the eastern side of the campus.

New academic complex

The new academic complex was built in 2004 at the northern end of the campus. Unlike the other buildings, it is designed in a modern functionalist style. It houses the Junior College and the DES Law College.

Residences

Residence hall

For students, there are six hostel blocks, four blocks for boys and two for girls. The total intake capacity of the hostels is 587 students. The gents hostel blocks are to the north of the campus and the ladies hostel blocks lie to the east.

The college has some quarters for the faculty and staff and also for employees of other DES Institutes.

The principal resides in an independent bungalow at the main entrance of the college. Some members of the teaching staff have been provided with residential facilities on the campus. This facility includes independent bungalows. There are some flats constructed with financial aid from the UGC.

Rankings

In 2020, Fergusson College was ranked 42nd among colleges in India by National Institutional Ranking Framework.^[29] It has also received National Heritage status and College of Excellence award by University Grants Commission (India).

Fergusson College has ranked in the top ten arts and science colleges in India for the past 16 years in the annual survey conducted by India Today-AC Nielsen-ORG-MARG and published in India Today magazine.^[30][31] In the state of Maharashtra, it is consistently ranked first in science and arts, followed by St. Xavier's College, Mumbai.^[32]

Departments

Senior wing of Fergusson University has 14 arts and 16 science departments.^[33]

Arts

Departments: Marathi, Hindi, Economics, English, French, Geography, German, Gymkhana, History, Philosophy, Political science, Psychology, Sanskrit, and Sociology.

Science

Departments: Animation, Biotechnology, Botany, Chemistry, Computer Science, Digital Art and Animation, Electronics Science, Environmental science, Geology, Mathematics, Media and Communication, Microbiology, Photography, Physics, Statistics, and Zoology.

Associated institutes

The college shares its campus with the Institute of Management Development and Research, Pune (IMDR) and Jaganath Rathi Vocational Guidance and Training Institute (JRVGTI), both governed by the Deccan Education Society. Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce (BMCC), established in 1943, is closely associated with Fergusson College. At the northern end of the campus, next to the New Academic Building, lies DES Law College.

National Cadet Corps

National Cadet Corps training began in Fergusson College in 1921 with the University Training Corps unit which had two platoons. In 1926, the UTC strength of increased to three platoons. In June 1930, one platoon of the College of Engineering was transferred to the Fergusson College and since then Fergusson College enjoyed the privilege of contributing full company — α coy — and was reputed as the Best Drilling Company.^[34]

There are two units of NCC in Fergusson College — Army and Navy wings. In the Army wing, cadets are trained by the representative of the Indian Armed Forces at the junior and senior level. They are seen as future officers or army personnel or as possible reserves in the case of national emergency. In the Naval wing, cadets are trained as per the naval rules and discipline at the senior as well as on junior level. They are considered as reserves, second in line of defence in case of national emergency. Apart from these, the open units in the college are Girls Wing, Air Wing, Signal Wing, Armed Squadron and Medical Wing.^[35]

National Service Scheme

National Service Scheme (NSS) is a community service program sponsored by the Ministry of Human Resources Development, Government of India. The motto of the NSS is ‘Not Me But You’, and its objective is developing the personality of the student through community service.

The NSS Unit of Fergusson College was started in 1975 with about 50 students. Presently the NSS Unit consists of about 200 students from senior college and 100 students from junior college. The activities of the NSS are to help the students understand community, their relation with community, National Integration, and Social problems.^[36]

Periodicals

The photography department, with contributions from current and former students, brings out an e-magazine, Fergzine.^[37]

SAATHI

Astro Club

The Astro Club is an activity started in 1997. Apart from weekly lectures, problem solving sessions and documentary screening, students also organise Physics/Astronomy exhibitions, seminars, workshops, sky observations, Space Week and Asteroid hunt program. "Frontiers in Physics" is a unique annual seminar organised by the students exclusively for the students with speakers from national and international institutions. Students also publish "Dimensions" a special science bulletin each term.