Big Dispute

Yusuf R displays pic of the 'Mystery Maiden'

Where was Banoo Apa born?
A major dispute broke out this morning over this question as the last date for the ongoing Pehchaan Kaun contest draws close (ref post of November 1). With Banoo Apa being the ‘prime suspect’ almost by default, opinion is divided over one of the key supplementary questions: Where was she born?
“She is too fair to be born in this country,” concluded Santosh Tyagi after intently studying a copy of the picture circulated this morning in the Garden.

WHO SHE???

“In any case she speaks a mixed language – not Hindi, not Marathi... god-knows-what she talks. So she must have been born outside India, maybe near the Frontier.”
“Arrey, she was born here, in Mohammad Ali Road,” Mallika Kagzi intervened. “Ask me, I know her well.

Jagmohan shares candies from Mahabaleshwar

Her real name is Sher Banoo. But she is not the one you think.”
Jagmohan Papneja did not want to take any chances and asked Banoo point blank. Yesterday, when Srichand Arora did the same, she told him: “I was born in a hospital”. Others like Naseem Khan, Rakhee Bansi and Mumtaz Jahan realized this was not going anywhere and decided on Banoo’s birthplace as Peshawar.
Somehow Peshawar also made better sense to Santosh, but Mallika went on waylaying her by pointing out that Banoo is too white (sic). “Don’t you see her skin has not been touched by sunlight?” she insisted. “She must have been born in a dark place and that too, at night. Mark my words!”
“But nobody is asking when and what place,” Santosh countered. “I want to know the city. For all I care, she could have been born in a municipal hospital or a running train…”
“I know the answer,” Fehmida Khan’s face brightened. “Banoo Apa was born in a taxi. Haven’t you heard of babies being born in taxis? They would be taking the mother to hospital and the taxi gets stuck in heavy traffic and before anybody can do anything, mother delivers the baby. Something like that must have happened for Banoo Apa also!”
Dispute settled, everybody dispersed for the day.
POST SCRIPT: Please revert to the post of November 1 for an updated list of final entries. Any amendment/ revision may be conveyed to Blog Monster on or before November 10, 2015.