The Top 10 Candidates of the 30th BCS Examination

I’m often confronted with a question:
Brother, what’s the proof that you came first in the 30th BCS examination?

Unfortunately, I don’t carry around the Bangladesh Public Service Commission’s annual report with me, so I can’t immediately satisfy their needless curiosity by showing ‘tangible proof.’ They weep at the sorrow of their neighbor’s wife being beautiful, and mentally call me a “damn fraud!” (As if I myself were the PSC chief who declared myself first!)

Yesterday, in the ‘BCS: Our Goal’ group, an overly enthusiastic gentleman posted about this. People eagerly threw themselves into the fray, risking life and limb to tear me apart. That gentleman, along with several others, wrote very harsh words or showed support (by liking posts) and reached this conclusion: “It’s all media hype. Sushanta is a fake, claiming to be first for no reason.”
(The post is gone now. That gentleman removed it. I had politely requested him not to delete the post. That spineless gentleman lacked the courage to keep it up. Because he himself was writing terrible things about me and supporting other nasty comments with his likes.)

I was reading a book, so I wasn’t on Facebook. Many people had texted me in my inbox about this matter, but I hadn’t noticed since I wasn’t online. A younger brother called and asked me to come on Facebook. At his urging, I came online and saw that Sunny bhai had given a fitting reply by sharing a photo of the merit list page from the Bangladesh Public Service Commission’s annual report from the year our results came out (2011). In my absence, by clearing up this confusion, he did what my own brother would do—the same thing that some of my very dear people always do for me. Only your brother will stand by your side, even when the entire world decides to turn away from you.

I don’t have the annual report with me right now, so I’m sharing both image files that Sunny bhai provided.

For those having trouble understanding, I’m writing out the merit list below:

First. Sushanta Paul (BCS Customs and Excise)

Second. Farhana Hamid Tina (BCS Health)

Third. Syed Shah Sad Andalib (BCS Foreign Affairs)

Fourth. A S M Sayem (BCS Foreign Affairs)
……… (The cadre name is mistyped)

Fifth. Md. Golam Saklayen (BCS Police)

Sixth. Md. Manowar Mokaram (BCS Foreign Affairs)

Seventh. Md. Bashir (BCS Foreign Affairs)………
(The cadre name is mistyped)

Eighth. Md. Riazul Islam (BCS Customs and Excise) ……… (The cadre name is mistyped)

Ninth. Md. Belal Hosen (BCS Foreign Affairs)
……….. (Typed as Hosen, but it’s Hosen in the gazette)

Tenth. Fazle Lohani Babu (BCS Foreign Affairs)

I scored 644 in the written examination. The viva marks aren’t disclosed.

A quiz for those taking the BCS examination: In the 30th BCS Health cadre merit list, Farhana Hamid Tina came sixth, while Rebecca Sultana came first. So why did Farhana Hamid Tina’s name appear in the combined merit list, but Rebecca Sultana’s name didn’t?

If anyone can give the correct answer to this (only the first respondent), I’ll genuinely treat them to coffee.

(A very old piece of writing)