For 3 years so far, I have taken part in this event called NUS Rag. What is rag? In basic terms it is a competition where halls and faculties present their best float designs and performances to wow the rest of the school. However, the effort put in behind every float design, every structure, every dance move are just unbelieveable for that short 5 minutes of performance.
People keep asking me why I take part in this. Why I put in so much effort in return for nothing. Well... I do get something in return. But it is somethings so intangible that I cannot put it down in proper words. For those who never participated in Rag, you may never understand what I am about to say, but for those who did, perhaps you would identify with me.
Rag to me is about creation. The creation of something from nothing. Everything in there was built from very limited resources by hand. All that goes into it is hard work, ingenuity and sometimes shear brilliance. Perhaps only craftsmen and people who do crafts often would understand the pride, the immense satisfaction of a creation completed. When you see everything come together for the first time, there is a sense of indescribable joy. Did we just build that? How did we do it? Even if the final product may not look as pretty as what others may come to expect, but it is the product of our labour. Much like a mother, we love our children no matter what.
Rag is also about the friends around me. How we toiled day and night, countless hours to complete the float. Often, the last three days are spent without sleep. Going non-stop at it until everything is completed. It is the most tiring part, yet the different antics, the encouragement from friends, the watching of National Day Parade on a pathetic laptop, the feeling that you are not alone keeps you going even after all the caffeine has lost its effect. It is also during the last few days that I see what I have come to term as the miracle of Rag. How people from all over come together and work together to create miracles. Things that would have normally taken days to do is done in hours. It is this period, that I feel most drained yet most satisfying.
I would say that after the experience of Rag, there are few obstacles that I believe cannot be overcomed if people are willing to come together and work together to achieve it. Perhaps this may indeed be the most important lesson I learn from Rag and the one thing I liked most about it.
Would I join Rag again? I don't know. It takes a lot out of you but it sure gives a lot back in return. If I have enough to give, if I see the need to perform the miracles, when the calls for Raggers sound again, I will be there to answer the call. Perhaps that is why they call me Ragston. Well... we'll see if I will take up the task again...
Ragston Tan
Rag... Few things come close...
