What was going on when I was born?

Between appointments, and sometimes even during them, Governor Cuomo these days keeps poking into Room 202 of the Capitol. He hovers behind craftsmen working on the fireplace and runs his hand over the marble window frames. ''Can you blame me?'' the Governor asked. ''It's beautiful.''

Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, in a notable break with past policies, has proposed a sweeping program to cut taxes for businesses and wealthy individuals and reduce government regulation of key parts of the economy. The Prime Minister's program bears more than a passing resemblance to some of President Reagan's ''supply side'' initiatives. Consciously or not, Mr. Gandhi seems to have borrowed a page from Mr. Reagan's textbook in an effort to shake up the Indian economy. The program, introduced in his Government's budget last week, has drawn praise from several quarters, including some associated with the political opposition.

MONDAY, MARCH 25, 1985 International Steps to protect white residents near a black township in South Africa's Eastern Cape were taken by army and police units. A protective ring was thrown around white residential areas near Kwanobuhle, where five black people were hacked and burned to death in revenge for killings Saturday. Three more blacks were reported killed by police fire. The three died when a police patrol fired on crowds setting fire to a liquor store. That brought to 29 the number of people killed since the police opened fire on a crowd of blacks in Langa Township on Thursday. (Page A1, Col. 5.) The most reliable United States ally in the Persian Gulf since the Iranian revolution is now Oman, according to Western, Omani and other Arab officials. This development, the officials said, has largely been the result of the influence of about 20 American, British and Arab advisers on the Oman's reclusive and absolute ruler, Sultan Qabus bin Said. Oman has become a base for Western intelligence operations, military maneuvers and logistical preparations for any defense of the oil-rich Persian Gulf. (A1:3.)

The Government will start new air- traffic procedures next month to help prevent a repetition of the record flight delays last summer. The changes by the Federal Aviation Administration include alterations in routes and procedures for planes flying to the New York area from the Southwest; acceleration of a program to resolve bottlenecks in the airways as they start to develop, and the relaxing of restrictions on the distances maintained between planes in the air. The changes will start going into effect after the expiration next Sunday of an agreement the airlines made last fall to adjust rush-hour schedules to reduce congestion. New schedules for this year's heavy travel season go into effect with daylight saving time on April 28, with traffic forecast to increase 6 to 10 percent. Assurances From Airlines The airlines have assured the Government they have no intention of reverting to the excessive bunching of flights that contributed to last year's snarls. This assurance, plus the plans for improved procedures, have generated moderate optimism among Government and industry officials that delays will be down significantly this year, provided the weather cooperates.

A group of powerful liberal and centrist Democrats in the House of Representatives have sent a private letter to Mikhail S. Gorbachev warning that the Soviet Union must comply with existing arms control treaties or risk the most ''serious consequences for the future of arms control.'' The main purpose of the letter to the Soviet leader, several of the signers said, was to send a message to Moscow that arms control advocates as well as critics will insist that existing arms limitation pacts be honored before future ones can be negotiated. The highly unusual form of communication specifically stated that prospects for a limit on space-based defenses, which is widely seen as Moscow's major goal in the arms control talks in Geneva, ''would become much more difficult'' without strict treaty compliance. Twenty-three Representatives signed the letter, including three powerful House members who will deal with future arms treaties: Dante B. Fascell of Florida, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee; Joseph P. Addabbo of Queens, chairman of the Appropriations Committee's subcommittee on defense; and Les Aspin of Wisconsin, chairman of the Armed Services Committee.

For the first time since Gov. Richard F. Celeste ordered 71 privately insured savings and loan institutions closed 10 days ago, all will be reopened for at least partial withdrawals on Monday, state banking officials said today. Thirteen of the closed thrift institutions were given clearance over the weekend to reopen on a full-service basis on Monday. That brings to 18 the total number of thrift units that will be operating on an unrestricted basis. All of the 18 have either received or applied for Federal insurance, a condition required for reopening; one has merged into another institution.

A dispatch from Miami last Friday on a proposal to build a new stadium there misidentified the court where Judge Wilkie D. Ferguson sits. It is the Third District Court of Appeals in the Florida state system.

Economists may finally have found a clue to the mystery surrounding what they consider the most serious economic difficulty facing the nation - the red-ink sea of the Federal budget deficits and their accumulated totals, making up a national debt approaching $2 trillion. The deficits continue to baffle such experts, who have warned of an imminent retribution of suffocating interest rates, high inflation and a recession. But the sky has yet to fall, and the economy has embarked upon what could be another year of growth and relative prosperity. It turns out that the experts may have been counting wrong.

The New York City Planning Commission has proposed new zoning rules that would seek to limit high-rise development on the side streets of the Upper East Side in an effort to maintain the neighborhoods' architectural character. If the plan survives the reviews of community and city agencies, it would impose the most sweeping zoning changes on the East Side since 1961, when the current zoning rules were put into effect. It would reduce by a third the maximum permissible size of a building on any lot. The present zoning - with its demands for space to allow more light and air to enter the streets - requires that builders of high towers set them back from the street with significant portions of open space.

Alphonse Mieli double-parked his car on Allerton Avenue in the Bronx yesterday, took a number at Sal & Dom's Pastry Shop and bought a week's worth of pignoli cookies and zeppoli for himself and his deprived neighbors in Yonkers. ''You can't get anything up there,'' lamented Mr. Mieli, a pharmacist who moved to Westchester County 30 years ago but still makes the pilgrimage back to his old neighborhood, where food tastes like food used to taste. ''People say we should open up there and make everybody happy,'' said Millie Pollicina, part of the extended family that owns and operates Sal & Dom's. ''But our bakers are here and our roots are here.''

St. John's finally fulfilled months of great expectations here this afternoon. Relying on the sort of crushing second-half surge that has become its trademark this season, St. John's defeated North Carolina State, 69-60, to win the West Regional and earn its first Final Four berth since 1952. The Redmen's visit to Lexington, Ky., this week will also be the first Final Four for Coach Lou Carnesecca. He has produced many fine teams in his 17 years as the Redmen coach but has never advanced beyond a regional final.

MONDAY, MARCH 25, 1985 The Economy Orders for American-made machine tools rose 12.4 percent in February from the month before. Orders were also up 17.1 percent from the same month last year. Analysts said the figures were consistent with their expectations. (Page D1.)