Rag 2012 EXcandescent Ushers In New Academic Year

Ushering in the academic year 2012/2013 with a bang is Rag 2012—EXcandescent. Rumbling trucks pulled 14 glittering floats crowned by oversized sculptures ranging from dragons to cakes, all of which were made of recycled materials.

Held on August 10, the four-hour showcase saw an eclectic mix of dance moves, tumbles, stunts and exuberant floats. The audience would also be hard-pressed to believe that those costumes and “Chingay-standard” floats, as proclaimed by the emcees, were made entirely out of recycled materials. Treasurer for the Faculty of Engineering Rag Committee, Moses Lee, modestly claimed: “It was not really difficult, we just went around like Karang Gunis (Malay phrase referring to rag-and-bone men), sourcing materials from HDB blocks.”

For the past two years, Rag has been held in collaboration with Singapore Youth Olympic Games in 2010 and the Promontory in 2011, but returned to its roots at the NUS Sports and Recreation Centre (SRC) this year. Klo’e Ng, Project Director for Rag 2012, described this homecoming as “somewhat humble in terms of infrastructure, but (the project was) definitely not shortchanged in any other ways”.

A notable change for this year’s Rag is the newly improved award system. In a bid to foster a stronger NUS spirit, a new banding system is introduced.

Rag, or ‘Receiving and Giving’, is a longstanding NUS tradition that first started in 1958. Every year, hundreds of students from various faculties and halls come together to put up a spectacular show, to thank the public for their generous donations during Flag Day. The public display of creative talent epitomizes the very essence of the NUS community spirit.

The reigning champions of the Halls—Kent Ridge Hall – brought home the coveted title of the Chancellor’s Shield, while Business School clinched the Chancellor’s shield for the best overall amongst the faculties.

President of the Republic of Singapore and NUS Chancellor, Dr. Tony Tan Keng Yam, as well as Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan and NUS President, Professor Tan Chorh Chuan graced the event as Guest-of-Honours.

Rag 2012 saw a host of powerhouse sponsors who had helped to make the event possible. Blackberry, for instance, loaned each of the Rag committee members a Blackberry phone to connect with each other during the day’s event.

Klo’e enthused: “Rag is about a process about the friendships forged, the lessons learnt and the memories etched. I was a ragger in Year 1 and everything that I took away from there motivated me to take up the position of Project Director this year.” As the saying goes, “ Once a Ragger, always a Ragger”. The beacon of this unique heritage shall be passed on to NUS students for many years to come.

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The 2012 winners are:

Overall Winners
NUS Chancellor’s Shield