What are Buranovsky grandmothers famous for? What happened to the Buranovsky grandmothers

Even on the way to Buranovo I felt that the conversation would not be easy. It's hard to ask. It hurts to talk. It’s sad just to think that we will never again hear songs performed by our beloved grandmothers. And all because.

I met with the grandmothers, the very same ones who, with their work, perseverance and charm, conquered the whole world at Eurovision, in the Palace of Culture in the village of Buranovo. Grandmothers call it their second home. Unfortunately, we were not able to communicate with everyone - many were busy with housework.

“I almost had a heart attack...”

Having learned that the renewed group “Buranovskie Babushki” was touring cities and singing to the soundtrack of the previous lineup, Galina Nikolaevna Koneva almost had a heart attack.

When asked if Galina Nikolaevna was offended by the producer, her grandmother replied, “I won’t tell.” Only tears treacherously rolled down my cheeks...

At least she called and said: since you can’t go on tour, you refuse, then we’ll recruit a group again and go around the cities. And we would be ready for this,” says Olga Nikolaevna Tuktareva. - But everything was done on the sly. And this is the most unpleasant thing. In any case, I am very grateful to Ksenia. After all, without her help, we would not have seen the world, and the House of Culture would not have been repaired for us, and we would have continued to only dream about the temple. I don't blame her. I just don't understand why she acted this way.

The wound is still fresh and has not healed. Resentment is like a trophic ulcer on my leg that does not heal for a long time. And I’m forced to live with her,” sighs Galina Koneva. - Now the new team has to bear the heavy cross, just as we have carried it for five years.

Producer Ksenia Rubtsova admits that the decision to renew the team was also not easy for her.

Ksenia Rubtsova,

First of all, this decision was caused by the emotional fatigue of the grandmothers. Over the five years of our cooperation, they took part in dozens of concerts and television broadcasts. They traveled almost all over Russia and visited many countries. Not every young man can withstand such loads, and no one made any allowances for grandmothers for their age. They, like all artists, flew on night and morning flights, did not get enough sleep, and were tired. And I have no moral right to continue to wear out grandmothers for the sake of popularity. Although I am always ready to continue to cooperate with them if they have the desire, strength and opportunity to do so.

I respect that one great job, which was held by grandmothers, but we must not forget about those people who stand behind the scenes. I understand the feelings of these people. But I want to emphasize that initially I did not set myself the goal of promoting specific grandmothers from the Udmurt village of Buranovo. My task was larger. I wanted to unite people who are called with the warm word “grandmother,” explains Ksenia. - And, of course, tell all of Russia, the world about the small Udmurt people, their culture and traditions. I am happy that now Udmurtia, where I come from, is known far beyond the borders of our country. And today “Buranovskie Babushki” is not a separate group, but a whole movement that can be joined by all those who are young at heart.

"There's no time to be bored"

Despite the current situation, the grandmothers are not discouraged. They remember the tour with smiles. They say that bells were brought home from all the temples, and also, as a memory of the cities, glasses, magnets and even pebbles.

The grandmothers' touring life was over, but they no longer had free time. They still perform in Buranovo.

People from other cities come to us almost every day. They drive by, see Buranovo and stop by,” says Alevtina Begisheva. - Recently there were guests from Moscow. Therefore, we live a busy life, we don’t get bored, especially since such rich life already used to it. When free time located, we are, of course, engaged in farming and gardening.

Is it rural or urban? - grandmothers ask me.

“I’m from the city, but my grandmother also lives in the village,” I answer.

Then you should know how much work we have! Livestock, vegetable garden, flowers - you need to take care of all this! And if you go to the store, you need to leave in advance. Because you’ll say hello to one and talk to the other. And so two hours can pass.

30 thousand rubles - for a performance?

Eurovision participants have repeatedly said that their main goal is to revive the church in their native village, which was closed in the late 1930s, and completely destroyed to the ground in the late 40s. Therefore, they donated most of their fees specifically for its construction, which began in May 2012. At the beginning of the year, the debt to the contractor amounted to 2 million 800 thousand rubles. Now, thanks to their own efforts, speeches and donations, the grandmothers have 1.4 million left to give. By the way, as it turned out, Ksenia has not transferred the money she earned to the “Buranovsky grandmothers” for a year. And this, meanwhile, is a decent amount - it would be enough to cover debts.

Of course, we will not take the money that another team is now earning for the temple. This is other people's money. They say they are also building a temple in the village. Let them finish building it. “And we can handle it on our own,” says Alevtina Gennadievna Begisheva. - Ksenia gave us 30 thousand rubles for performing for everyone. We didn't see the rest of the money. They took a thousand rubles each, and put the rest towards the temple. Fans, when they come, also donate, and that’s how we build, brick by brick. Yesterday my aunt sent us 10 thousand rubles. She said that she had prepared this money specifically for the temple.

Since the idea of ​​building a temple, which the grandmothers voiced in 2009, the “House of Lyudmila Zykina” has raised about 12 million rubles, which is confirmed by relevant documents. And we continue to work with the general contractor,” says Ksenia. - The builders are already ready to open the temple in October this year and continue work on interior decoration and landscaping. To complete all work, another 5 million 30 thousand rubles are needed.

The opening of the temple is scheduled for October 12 in Buranovo. Guests and fans will come not only from Udmurtia, but also from other cities of Russia. As the grandmothers said, on this day there would be an impromptu concert, at which everyone could perform any song. And during the breaks, the grandmothers themselves will perform. In addition, guests can expect new song from the team.

As Ksenia Rubtsova told us, she will not be able to come to the opening of the temple.

Ksenia Rubtsova, producer of the Buranovskie Babushki group, director of the House of Lyudmila Zykina:

I received an invitation from Olga Nikolaevna Tuktareva. And I’m glad for the grandmothers that their dream of building a temple in their native village is coming true. But, unfortunately, I will not be able to come to Udmurtia on October 12 for the opening of the temple. Now I'm preparing a big one concert program, dedicated to the anniversary of Alexandra Pakhmutova. The concert will take place November 3 in the Kremlin, I am its producer. That's why I schedule every day minute by minute. But I will definitely come to Buranovo as soon as I have the opportunity.

If Ksenia comes to the opening of the temple, then I will drag her somewhere into a dark corner and beat her without witnesses! - Galina Koneva says playfully, but with resentment in her voice.

MEANWHILE

Who will now perform in Buranovskie Babushki?

As Ksenia Rubtsova said, the backbone of the updated composition is three professional artists: Anna Prokopyeva, Valentina Serebrennikova - former soloists famous in Udmurtia and not only the ensembles “Italmas” and “Aikai” - and Ekaterina Antonova, former manager harmonica ensemble "Arganchi" Malopurginsky district.

Ekaterina Antonova, Anna Prokopyeva and Valentina Serebrennikova

I have known the first two for a long time, and previously more than once or twice I suggested that they strengthen the composition of “Buranovskie Babushki”. Therefore, in recruiting new artists, I completely relied on Anna Nikolaevna and Valentina Mikhailovna. They are professionals in their field and have done a lot for development Udmurt culture. They suggested attracting amateur artists from Ludorvai, and I approved of their choice,” says Ksenia. - I have been to several concerts of the updated line-up and am very pleased with them. And not just me. You have to see how the audience receives them!

Many of them are performed by grandmothers to the accordion of Ekaterina Antonova. In addition, there were old songs that were loved by the audience and which cannot be avoided at concerts.

As for Natalya Yakovlevna Pugacheva, who has already appeared on stage several times with a new lineup - for the first time after undergoing surgery in March - then, according to the producer, it was only her desire, she missed being on stage and communicating.

Nobody forced anyone. It is clear that Natalya Yakovlevna participated in these concerts in a sparing manner - she appeared on stage in only two or three numbers. “I understand that she will not be able to tour as actively as before - on October 28 she will turn 79 years old,” says Ksenia. - But she is a great fellow, I love her very much and always wait for her. However, like all other grandmothers, I am ready to cooperate with everyone within the framework of the law.

Director of LLC "House of Lyudmila Zykina" and producer famous group"Buranovskie Babushki" Ksenia Rubtsova invited to join it professional artists, after which the former grandmothers, who performed at Eurovision 2012 with the song Party for Everybody, refused to go on stage.

The group's press secretary, Svetlana Syrygina, told RG that the updated composition of "Buranovskie Babushki" included former soloists of the state academic ensemble songs and dance of Udmurtia "Italmas" and the Republican Theater of Folklore Song "Aikai" Anna Prokopyeva and Valentina Serebrennikova, as well as Ekaterina Antonova, former director of the ensemble of harmonica players of the Malopurginsky district of Udmurtia "Arganchi".

According to Syrygina, one of the reasons for the renewal of the group was the age of its main participants; most of the “Buranovsky Babushki” are over 70, it is difficult for them to withstand tour schedule and live nomadic life the artist is constantly traveling on planes and trains.

Constant concerts, filming on TV, traveling take a lot of energy even from young people. After the group found world fame, there were many requests from younger artists to take them into the team, and it was decided to give them the opportunity to perform under the Buranovskie Babushki brand,” said Syrygina.

According to Rubtsova, it is generally impossible to talk about the “old” and “new” composition of the group, because its members were initially more numerous than those who appeared on stage and on television. The ensemble "Buranovskie Babushki" was created in the village of the same name 40 years ago, and some of its members, such as songwriter Elizaveta Zarbatova, who died in January, have never been seen by the general public.

The group, which took part in tours after Eurovision, consisted of 8 people. The artists did not always perform in exactly this composition; sometimes it changed depending on their state of health or the workload of household chores. Let me emphasize once again that “Buranovskie Babushki” is a project, and not a separate team of a rural club,” Rubtsova explained.

IN recent months artists from Buranov were preparing to perform on the stage of the State Kremlin Palace in Moscow, where on December 7 there will be a festival folk creative teams Russia. After the news about the renewal of the group’s composition, the performance of “Buranovskie Babushki”, as the audience was accustomed to seeing them, was in question. The artistic director of the group, Olga Tuktareva, told RG that the grandmothers, who won second place at Eurovision 2012 in Baku, will not go on stage with the new participants.

We always said that we would perform until the temple was completed, after which we would stop touring, because it’s hard for grandmothers to travel so much to concerts. We are not against someone after us performing under the Buranovskiye Babushki brand, but please give us the opportunity to complete the construction,” said Tuktareva.

In their interviews, grandmothers have repeatedly stated that all the money earned on stage will be spent on restoring the Church of the Holy Trinity, built in the village of Buranovo in 1895 and destroyed in the 1930s. The grandmothers began her restoration immediately after they became famous. Today the temple building itself is ready, the opening of which is scheduled for October 12, but another 2 million rubles are needed for interior decoration. According to Tuktareva, this year the grandmothers performed for 8 months, but “not a penny for the temple” was given to them. Now the pensioners plan to earn the money that needs to be given to contractors on their own.

Ksenia Rubtsova told an RG correspondent that the House of Lyudmila Zykina actually allocated money for the construction of the church. Since 2009, 12 million rubles have been spent on construction, but this was a voluntary desire of the production center team to help the grandmothers.

Builders are ready to open the temple in October and continue work on the interior decoration. Another 5.3 million rubles are needed to complete all work. You need to ask them how much the artists invested, since they received fees for every concert, every filming trip. I gave them to Olga Tuktareva. And investing money in the construction of a church or somewhere else is their right,” Rubtsova said.

She also said that the concert in the Kremlin will take place in any case, even if the grandmothers who participated in Eurovision do not come to Moscow.

We respect the great work that the grandmothers did, but we must not forget about those people who stand behind the scenes. We did not have the goal of making “stars” out of a single team of a rural club. The initial goal of the project is to show the value of grandmothers for residents different countries, to unite people who are called by the warm word “grandmother” and, of course, to tell all of Russia, the world about the small Udmurt people, their culture and traditions. The Buranovskie Babushki project should continue to grow, this is normal. It is not normal, from our point of view, to destroy an idea that is in demand by society, the audience and creativity, says the producer.

Valentina Pyatchenko, member of the first cast of "Buranovskie Babushki"

We're not moping. It's not good to swear or be offended by someone. We travel, perform, and earn a little money. Under your own name. Let them perform under our name, just let them not sing with our voices, we asked them to do so. As for the fees, I’ll say: for the first three years we didn’t receive anything at all. Then for two years we were given 5,000 rubles per concert. We did not leave anything for ourselves - how can we if our church is not completed.

And now we feel good. We have no time to be sick and offended, we need to earn money for the church, we still need so much money! We must complete the construction of the temple - this is our common decision. And even if in the end it turned out to be a not very pleasant story with the producer, but thanks to it we ourselves became so famous and glorified our native village, we saw the whole world. Many thanks to her for this.

Radiant eyes, bright faces, non-plastic joy on their faces - Buranovsky grandmothers are ahead of all Eurovision stars and conquer the hearts of the audience. They are hard workers and truly grandmothers - almost all of them have many children and grandchildren.

Let's get to know them better.

Baysarova Granya

By profession, plasterer, painter, tiler. She worked at the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant. In 1975, she moved with her family to Buranovo, where she worked as a milkmaid for 20 years. Knits every free minute. The beautiful stockings that grandmothers wear on stage are her creation.

She raised 6 children, who gave her 8 grandchildren. There is a great-granddaughter.

Koneva Galina

Graduated from Sarapul Preschool Pedagogical College. She worked as a kindergarten teacher all her life. WITH youth performs on stage in amateur performances and has not participated in skiing competitions for only two years - Galina Nikolaevna has 1st adult category in cross-country skiing.

The core of the team, the generator of ideas. No wonder her friends call her “mush mumma” - queen bee. If I lived in the city, I would certainly become a statesman.

Raised 3 children. There are 8 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.

Natalya Yakovlevna Pugacheva

I studied at school for only one year, then the war began - there was no time for studying anymore. She worked all her life on a collective farm in the village of Buranovo.

They say about such people: small but remote. Indeed - everything has time! He also has a great sense of humor.

She raised 4 children. Now she is blessed with 3 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.

Tuktareva Olga

Graduated from the Perm Institute of Culture. Director of the Buranovsky House of Culture, artistic director of the Buranovsky Babushki. Author of song translations into the Udmurt language. Very sincere, subtle nature. At the same time, he does not forget about the economy. Her family is already eating in April fresh cucumbers from our own greenhouse.

Two children.

Pyatchenko Valentina

First she studied to be a seamstress, then graduated from the historical and philological faculty of the Udmurt Pedagogical Institute. She worked for 21 years as a teacher of Russian language and literature in Turkmenistan, where her husband was sent to serve. But family life It didn’t work out, and in 1984 Valentina Semyonovna and her children returned to her native village, where she worked at a school until retirement.

In 1998, while working on a circular saw, I lost right hand(puts on a prosthesis to go on stage). Over time, I learned to do everything myself: sew on a machine, bake pies, cook delicious jam. Last summer I picked 8 buckets of wild strawberries in a week! And even in the driest summer, she manages to harvest the largest harvest from the garden. In the team they call her “shirpi”, in Russian - little mouse. She's so quiet.

She raised 2 sons, one of whom died. Has 2 grandchildren.

Dorodova Zoya

Baker by profession. She worked in the Buranovskaya bakery and as a milkmaid on a collective farm. She got married in Babino. There she worked as a cook and head of the school canteen. After the death of her husband, she returned to Buranovo and worked as a cook at Geophysics until her retirement.

The most sedate and taciturn member of the team. If you need to prepare lunch while traveling, Zoya Sergeevna does it.

She raised a daughter who gave her 2 grandchildren.

Begisheva Alevtina

She has been an accountant all her life and only for the last 4 years has she been running the museum in the Buranovsky House of Culture. It was no coincidence that I changed my job: the whole family collected antiques. So a family hobby became a profession.

An accountant in life, he loves clarity and order in everything. Loves solving Sudoku.

Three children.

Shklyaeva Ekaterina

When I was in 4th grade, my mother fell ill. Therefore, I had to quit school and take on all the housework. She worked at the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant, then at a construction site as a plasterer-painter in the Perm region. She got married there, but 6 years later her husband died. She returned to her native village and worked in agriculture village of Buranovo.

The team's tuning fork is used to check the tonality. Kvasit the most delicious cabbage. There is always bread for the birds in her pockets: wherever the grandmothers come, she feeds the pigeons, sparrows, and ducks.

Raised 3 children. There are 5 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild.

When they took the stage at the Russian stage of the Eurovision 2010 contest, the audience greeted them standing. Young people, famous musicians and respectable producers looked at the performance of a unique group and were surprised to discover a new name for themselves Russian show business"Buranovsky grandmothers."

The originality and sincerity of the performers captivated the Russian public at first sight. It came as a surprise to the audience that the grandmothers, who were already over 70, decided to come to Moscow, and most importantly, they were not afraid to speak in front of a huge television audience. The very next morning, the Internet exploded with reports that grandmothers from the little-known Udmurt village of Buranovo took 3rd place in the Russian stage of the Eurovision Song Contest.

The video with the grandmothers’ performance instantly became a hit on the RuNet, and was posted by many news portals and websites. In just a couple of days, more than 30 thousand people watched it.

Internet users commented with admiration on the grandmothers’ performances: “Grandmothers...” – just super! How they managed to open a hall! This is simply amazing. The audience gave them a standing ovation. “Grandmothers...” with its originality, unformatted and non-standard nature could easily win Eurovision. “Grandmothers...” - well done. Good health and good luck to them!”

It was a resounding victory!

The triumphant song “Long, long birch bark and how to make an aishon out of it,” with which the grandmothers performed at the qualifying round, was written 10 years ago by team member Elizaveta Filippovna Zarbatova or simply Baba Lisa. At that time, the group “Buranovskie Babushki” was just being created. Baba Lisa admitted that she was glad that many people heard her song. Baba Lisa herself would love to go to Moscow, but she’s not the same age anymore - she’s 84.

The song talks about the difficult life of women: an Udmurt woman, going out into the field, turns to a birch tree: “How can I make an aishon from birch bark? How to weave a belt from flax? There are seven people in the house - how to feed them? There is a young mare in the stall - how can she be taught to plow? I go out into the field - the distance is limitless - how can I, an unlearned person, plow the land and sow seeds?

Many show business experts are wondering: what is the phenomenon of grandmothers? “Buranovskie Babushki” is a small team led by Olga Nikolaevna Tuktareva. The smallest “star” of the group, lead singer Baba Natasha, proudly bears the name Pugachev. None of the grandmothers seriously thought about the professional stage; they were just going to sing. They sing the way their great-grandmothers sang many years ago. At the same time, they always surprised the audience, for example, by singing songs by Tsoi, Grebenshchikov and the Beatles in the Udmurt language.

They keep those true values which have been passed down from generation to generation for centuries. They live subsistence farming the way their ancestors lived. They may refuse to perform just because they need to plant potatoes or it’s time to breed pets. And everyone treats this with understanding.

IN village club In the village of Buranovo, grandmothers opened a museum on their own, the exhibits of which were 200-year-old scarves, an old gramophone and other utensils. “My grandmothers taught me a lot, I reconsidered my whole life. And when it’s difficult for me or something doesn’t work out, I tell myself: don’t whine, grandmothers are working in the garden at this time. I get up and move on. That’s how beneficial they influenced me,” says one of their fans.

There is one more topic that is very important for grandmothers. In 1939, in the village of Buranovo, a church was destroyed to the ground. At Soviet power the temple was not restored. Village residents travel to the nearest temple as much as 40 kilometers away. The grandmothers’ dream is to build a temple in their native village. And, perhaps, this is one of the main incentives that brings grandmothers to the stage.

For several years now, Europe has been experiencing a boom in folklore fashion. There are no analogues to “Buranovsky Babushki” in show business today. None of the experts can give a clear definition in what style or genre grandmothers sing. But one thing is certain - the ethnic project “Buranovskie Babushki” has aroused interest not only in Russia, but also in the world. Japanese journalists filmed a story about grandmothers, Finnish television is preparing a big program, RTR is filming a video.

Once upon a time, in the foothills of the Urals, there lived a tribe from which many Finno-Ugric peoples, including the Udmurts, were formed. The ancestors of the Finno-Ugrians were observant and knew the laws of the world and nature. Their descendants spread throughout Europe, speaking different languages. All of them today make up the large Finno-Ugric world. Who knows, maybe this is why advanced European youth are so interested in the small team from Udmurtia, because in fact they are the genetic grandmothers of many Europeans?

Last century, when kindergarten Galina Koneva created an ensemble that performed in a rural club with Russians folk songs. However special success there was none, so the repertoire included songs in the Udmurt language, which were liked by fellow villagers.

Today the group consists of 12 people, but due to age and health conditions, only 8 participants go on tour: Granya Ivanovna Baysarova, Alevtina Gennadievna Begisheva, Zoya Sergeevna Dorodova, Galina Nikolaevna Koneva, Natalya Yakovlevna Pugacheva, Valentina Semenovna Pyatchenko, Ekaterina Semenovna Shklyaeva, and artistic director– director Olga Nikolaevna Tuktareva. Average age grandmothers are 68 years old, the oldest of them is 86 years old, and the youngest participant is 43 years old.

“Buranovskie Babushki” perform in national Udmurt costumes: dresses made of homespun material, many of which were inherited by the performers, removable bibs, belts, knitted stockings and bast shoes. An obligatory attribute of the outfit is a monisto - a necklace made of silver coins, among which there are examples from the Catherine era.

The ensemble gained wide popularity after participating in the festival “New Ancient Land” and the Day of native language, held in Izhevsk in 2008. “Buranovsky Babushki” sang the songs of Boris Grebenshchikov “Golden City” and Viktor Tsoi “A Star Called the Sun” in the Udmurt language. One of the spectators filmed the performance on mobile phone and posted it on the Internet, after which the grandmothers gained popularity. Then the songs were translated and recorded The Beatles, including Yesterday and Let It be.

In 2009, “Buranovskie Babushki” performed at the anniversary of Lyudmila Zykina, and then signed a contract with the director of the “House of Lyudmila Zykina” Ksenia Rubtsova, who began promoting them on television to participate in various shows, anniversary and group concerts, and today he is the producer of the group.

In 2010, the ensemble took part in the Russian qualifying round of the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Long, Long Birch Bark and Aishon from It,” where they took 3rd place. In 2012, their song Party for Everybody brought them victory in the national selection of Eurovision 2012.

Almost all grandmothers, with the exception of Olga Tuktareva, are retired. They do housework, work in the garden, and look after livestock. “Buranovskie Babushki” honor and preserve the traditions of their people. Through their efforts, a museum was opened in the village of Buranovo national culture, the exhibits of which included clothing and household items that are up to 200 years old.

In addition, the “Buranovskie Babushki” organized the construction of a temple in the village on the site of one destroyed in time. This is precisely what is a powerful incentive for the ensemble, and all the proceeds from concerts, tours and various television shows are used by the members of the ensemble for restoration.

At first there was euphoria. The homeland greeted them as heroines.

- We wanted to secretly return to Buranovo - but where is it!- remembers Galina Koneva. —It was impossible to get down from the plane's ramp - everyone went out onto the airfield. Halfway to the village, people stood with flags and perepechas (Udmurt cheesecakes with with different fillings. - Author). They sing and roar. We are roaring. Nobody thought about winning. Villagers! Moscow has asked us so many times to take off our bast shoes and antique dresses. But these are national clothes - from chests, from attics. Yes, we are old too.

The youngest in the team, 49 years old artistic director Olga Tuktareva has been working with grandmothers for a quarter of a century. They all seem to be “antique”: the oldest one is 81 years old. A good half have many children. Each has its own share. Valentina Pyatchenko the circular saw cut off part of her arm - so with her left hand she adapted to plant a vegetable garden and weave rugs. Ekaterina Shklyaeva broke her femoral neck. I left the hospital and continued singing. Several women survived cancer. “Everyone recovered, they are real fighters,” says Olga.

Who knew Buranovo before? It seemed to be close to the capital of Udmurtia, but there were no roads. Gas is available only in half of the houses. Electric poles are about to collapse. After the success of the grandmothers at Eurovision, the problems were solved as if by magic. The school received help, the cultural center was restored. The international festival died down twice in the Buranovsky expanses.

Today, like 125 years ago, Buranova has almost 700 inhabitants, and in appearance it is an ordinary village.

- No!— Olga Tuktareva smiles. — “Grandmothers” were not born out of nowhere. There has always been an intelligentsia here. A school, hospital, and library in the village were among the first to open in Udmurtia. Priests worked as teachers. Including father Grigory Vereshchagin- ethnographer, educator. In 1927, he was deprived of his clergy title and was almost shot. The villagers hid the priest in the forests. The temple was closed. But in 1939 my mother was baptized here and Galina Nikolaevna Koneva— the participants in the sacrament climbed into the church through the window.

After the war, the temple was destroyed. And in the 21st century, grandmothers had a dream to restore it. But there was no money.

— Suddenly one rich man asked us to sing songs in Udmurt Tsoi And Grebenshchikova, - recalls Valentina Pyatchenko. — Olga translated them, we recorded a disc. It all started with that fee.

Prayer service at the construction site of the Holy Trinity Church in the village of Buranovo. Photo: RIA Novosti / Konstantin Ivshin

And for the sake of a good cause, the Lord sent them a meeting with the great Zykina. Its director, Izhevsk resident Ksenia Rubtsova, brought my grandmothers to Moscow. They charmed Lyudmila Georgievna. Rubtsova became their producer. But two years after Eurovision, the contract ended, and the grandmothers were exchanged for professionals.

— We accidentally saw them on the Internet,- says Galina Koneva. - It was very painful...

— The former producer forbids us to sing and distribute songs partially recorded with her money!— Valentina Pyatchenko is indignant.

— We are touring, and she says that the grandmothers are old, sick, and cannot travel,- laments Granya Baysarov. — He says about new singers that they performed at Eurovision and are building a temple. And they have never been here. And Rubtsova designed the brand for herself. We don't mind that group performing. Let them sing and dance. If only they wouldn't throw mud at us.

Today the team that won Eurovision is called “Grandmothers from Buranov”. And people love them, maybe even more than before.

- People understand who is who,— Granya Baysarova is sure. — They greet you warily: are they real? And they see us and thaw out. They say about the new team: the audience came, realized that the grandmothers were “fake”, and left.

The “grandmothers” woke up the people. In Udmurtia they grew like mushrooms after the rain folklore groups. Young people have returned to the club and are staging plays. The state farm started working. And the golden domes sparkle in the sun: services have been held in the Church of the Holy Trinity for two years now.

- We still need money- worries Alevtina Begisheva.“There are cracks in the walls, the doors need to be replaced—it’s cold in winter.” We want to set up a house for single people at the temple. They started the refectory with a guest room so that people would have a place to spend the night. For now we’ll put it at our place. On mattresses.

After the grandmothers became famous, Buranov had its own souvenirs. Photo: AiF/ Tatyana Ulanova

Kyrӟalom jon-jon-jon

— 50 million were invested in infrastructure, we could develop the village,— sticks out from behind a tall fence, unusual for the village designer Alexander Pilin, who bought the house of the merchant Larionov opposite the cultural center. “I came here with a mission to raise the village.” He said: let's sell products, felt boots! I even preserved Buranovsky air. It could have been done Cultural Center, pet zoo, market. But the locals don't need anything. Grandmothers and I have different audiences. Those who go to them do not come to me. And vice versa. Ugly, ridiculous - they are just a product of PR.

Pilin participates in exhibitions and gives lectures abroad. In his house you can see a black square made of worn socks, “hear” the hymn to dropped pants and buy a stylish felt carpet in the shape of a gramophone record. But he is a Westerner, the grandmothers are Slavophiles. And it is difficult for them to understand each other.

- The crowds will flock here - the soulfulness will go away,— says Alevtina Begisheva.

“The Udmurts have a proverb: don’t rush forward, don’t trail behind, don’t hang out in the middle,” Olga Tuktareva summarizes. “To complete the temple and maintain it—those are our plans.”

* The material contains lines in English and Udmurt languages from the song with which the Buranovsky Babushki won Eurovision:

- Party for everyone! Dance! Let's dance!

- We will sing loudly and loudly.