Hotel Barottas at Home! 😊

Hotel Barottas at Home 😊

#schooldays #memoriesfromdiaries #nostalgia

7th January 1994

[This day, 30 years ago, from my personal diary entry]

On this particular day, on the eve of our Open House at School, we had decorated our Class Black Board in as grandiose a manner as could be! 

Well, I was quite an eager-beaver when it came to Black Board Calligraphy. So a few of us made sure the board looked its bestest for the Open House.

Math was my Achilles heel you see! 😊 So I dutifully enrolled myself for Math tuition with one of the best tuition masters in town, for my daily Math coaching!

Back then, I also had this particular penchant for hotel barottas that came with a saalna combo! 😉

So en route home, bought myself a parcel of the combo! George Uncle, a family friend, and a Professor of English, [& Appa’s colleague in college], had come home to visit Dad today.  

On the General Knowledge front –

Well, I’d jotted down the news in a graded format, starting with the Main news headlines of the day, followed by State, National & International News.

So here goes -

Main News Headlines of the day

Well, the Karnataka – TN tussle on Cauvery hogs the limelight today as the main news.

One of the major perennial rivers flowing from Talakaveri in Karnataka to Tamil Nadu, the Cauvery is popularly called the Dakshina Ganga [or Ganga of the South].

The Cauvery water dispute has been going on for ages, with political parties from across the States virulently attacking each other over the river and its bounty!

The former CM Jayalalithaa had even gone on a fast twice, the most prominent one in July 1993, to make Karnataka release Cauvery water for TN.

Former CM Jayalalithaa on fast for Cauvery water, 1993

Even prominent actor Rajinikanth had offered Rs. one crore towards interlinking of rivers – after his nine-hour fast in October 2002, a sensational fast of sorts with celebrities from tinsel town all over the venue - inaugurated by former finance minister P. Chidambaram.  

Actor Rajinikanth on fast for Cauvery water, 2002

Vijayakanth with Rajinikanth at the site of the fast

P. Chidambaram with Rajinikanth at the site of the fast

Later, in the year 2009, even the former CM Karunanidhi went on a six-hour fast for Cauvery.

Former CM Karunanidhi on fast for Cauvery water

Coming back to the National News of the day -

The PM Narasimha Rao assures parliament that, the strength of army won’t be reduced.  

State News

TN Special Representative in New Delhi, P. Kolandaivelu accuses the Governor Mr. Channa Reddy.

DMK denies allegations that it tried to split Congress.

AP government to give scholarship amount in cheques.

International News

Israel to restart talks with PLO. [Yet another perennial conflict that’s been going on for ages].

UN Commander in Bosnia quits.

Clinton’s mother dies.

Pakistan assails India.

Picture Courtesy: The Hindu Archives, The Asian Age, Rajinikanth Fans Page