Advantage Outsiders
With the balance tilted against it, the Taliban regime will soon find itself vanquished.

Lull Before The Storm
Amid calls for a quick and decisive end to the conflict, Afghanistan has been abuzz with talk of an imminent Northern Alliance ground war against the Taliban.

History's Pointers
The Soviet Union's 10 years campaign in Afghanistan — a conflict that led to a humiliating withdrawal and, some say, its eventual breakup
— can be a learning experience for
the US.

METROSCAPE: LOOKING GLASS

MUMBAI
Restaurant

Imagine a friend who is an avid traveller, a gambler of recipes and a gourmand. And then imagine spending hours sharing stories of his adventures. You can get close. In India Jones, the new restaurant at the Oberoi Hotel and Towers based on the escapades of a homespun Indiana Jones in six far-east Asian countries, guests are made to feel as if they're hot on a cuisine trail. For Japanese food buffs there are three kinds of set Teppan Yaki menus with appetisers, pickles, miso soup, scallops and red snapper and salmon. The Chinese menu (laid out on lazy-suzy tables with calligraphy walls as backdrop) omits trite regulars (chilli chicken and hakka noodles) for delicacies Peking Duck and Chansui Pork. The highlight, however, is the bar Opium Den where the Spirit of Opium, Jones' favourite cocktail, can be sipped in shadow of a 17-ft sculpture of a woman. Dinner for two (excluding drinks) costs Rs 1,500 to Rs 7,600 depending on the dishes. Call (022) 232-4343.

The life of a composer-writer who dies tragically in a lunatic asylum seems more like fodder for films than for a puppet show. But Toccata, a puppet show on Robert Schumann by the German Figure Theatre assumes an audience amongst adults. The theatre is part of The International Puppetry Festival 2001 organised jointly by the Max Mueller Bhavan, the British Council, Israel Consulate, Alliance Francaise de Bombay and Prithvi Theatre and uses shadow, body and glove puppetry to underline serious social issues. Performances by eight different participating groups will take place at ncpa, Prithvi and Horniman Circle Garden fromNovember 1 to 8. This time leave your kids behind. Call (022) 203-6187.

The metro's Oriental eateries are multiplying by the day, but Chung Wah on Church Street is radically different- it's vegetarian. The fleshy, fibrous element associated with meat is replicated through Su Shr or soya proteins, a traditional part of Far East diet. Popular dishes are liang tofu (bean curd that has a faux chicken feel), mapo tofu (with seafood and mince meat texture), and tofu with broccoli and mushroom overrun by a phony oyster sauce. Appetisers include Sha bha le (stuffed egg plant) and deep fried su chi to be followed by a variety of fried rice and noodles. Meal for two is Rs 400. Call (080) 559-8598.

KOLKATA

Dimple Kapadia is entering Kolkata for the first time with her aromatic candles and so is Delhi design house Gees with their amatory Kama jewellery.

The exhibition-cum-sale, to be held at the The Park from November 1 to 3, is reassuringly called Life is Beautiful and all proceeds from this show are to go to the People for Animals, the Delhi-based animal welfare organisation.

The jewellery is in the range of Rs 1,500-11,000 and the candles, some of which have a Ganesha embedded in them, are between Rs 60 and Rs 2,000. Call (011) 335-7088.

MetroScape

Looking Glass

Mumbai Restaurant:
India Jones

Mumbai Puppetry Festival: Toccata

Bangalore Restaurant: Chung Wah

Kolkata Exhibition : Life Is Beautiful