What are Buranovskiye 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 speak. It is sad at the mere thought that we will never again hear songs performed by our beloved grandmothers. And all because.

I met grandmothers, the very 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, it was not possible to communicate with everyone - many were busy with housework.

“I almost had a heart attack…”

Upon learning that the renewed Buranovskiye Babushki collective was touring the cities and singing to the soundtrack of the previous composition, Galina Nikolaevna Koneva almost had a heart attack.

When asked if Galina Nikolaevna was offended by the producer, the grandmother answered "I won't tell." Only tears treacherously rolled down her cheeks ...

If only 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 it, - says Olga Nikolaevna Tuktareva. - But everything was done on the sly. And that's the most annoying thing. In any case, I am very grateful to Xenia. Indeed, 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 only continue to dream about the temple. I don't blame her. I just don't understand why she did it the way she did.

The wound is still fresh and has not healed. Resentment is like a trophic ulcer on my leg, which does not heal for a long time. And I have to live with her, - Galina Koneva sighs. - Now the new team has to carry a 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. During the five years of our cooperation, they took part in dozens of concerts and television broadcasts. They traveled almost all of Russia, visited many countries. Not every young person can withstand such loads, and no one made any allowances for age for grandmothers. They, like all artists, flew night and morning flights, lacked sleep, got tired. And I have no moral right to continue to wear down 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 for this.

I respect that great job, which was held by grandmothers, but we must not forget about those people who are 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 mission was bigger. I wanted to unite people who are called by the warm word “grandmother,” Ksenia explains. - And, of course, tell the whole 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, Buranovskiye Babushki is not a single team, but a whole movement that all those who are young at heart can join.

"No time to be bored"

Despite the current situation, grandmothers do not lose heart. 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.

Grandmothers' touring life is over, but they no longer have free time. They still perform in Buranovo.

People from other cities come to us almost every day. They pass by, see Buranovo and stop by, - says Alevtina Begisheva. - Recently, the guests were from Moscow. Therefore, we live richly, do not get bored, especially since such rich life already used to. When free time located, we are, of course, engaged in farming and gardening.

Is it rural or urban? grandmothers ask me.

City, but my grandmother also lives in the village, - I answer.

Then she must know how much work we have! Cattle, a vegetable garden, flowers - you need to take care of all this! And if you go to the store, then you have to leave in advance. Because you will say hello to one, talk to the second. And so two hours can pass.

30 thousand rubles - for the 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 in the late 40s completely destroyed to the ground. Therefore, they gave most of their fees to 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, performances and donations, the grandmothers have 1.4 million left to give. By the way, as it turned out, Ksenia had not transferred the earned money to the Buranovsky Babushkas for a year. And this, meanwhile, is a decent amount - it would be enough to cover the debts.

Of course, we will not take the money that another team is now earning for the temple. This is someone else's money. They, they say, are also building a temple in the village. Let them finish it. And we will cope on our own, - says Alevtina Gennadievna Begisheva. - Ksenia gave us 30 thousand rubles for the performance at all. We did not see the rest of the money. They took a thousand rubles each, and the rest was set aside for the temple. Fans, when they come, also donate, that's how we build brick by brick. Yesterday my aunt sent us 10 thousand rubles. She said that she had prepared this money specially for the temple.

Since the idea of ​​building a temple arose, which the grandmothers voiced in 2009, the "House of Lyudmila Zykina" has collected about 12 million rubles, which is confirmed by the 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. Another 5 million 30 thousand rubles are needed to complete all the work.

On October 12, the opening of the temple is scheduled in Buranovo. Guests and fans will come not only from Udmurtia, but also from other Russian cities. As the grandmothers said, on this day there will be an impromptu concert, where everyone could perform any song. And during the breaks, the grandmothers themselves will perform. In addition, guests are expected 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 Buranovskiye Babushki collective, director of the Lyudmila Zykina House:

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

If Xenia 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 jokingly, but with resentment in her voice.

MEANWHILE

Who will now perform in "Buranovskie Babushki"

As Ksenia Rubtsova said, the backbone of the updated lineup is three professional artists: Anna Prokopieva, Valentina Serebrennikova - former soloists famous in Udmurtia and not only ensembles "Italmas" and "Aikai" - and Ekaterina Antonova, former leader ensemble of harmonists "Arganchi" Malopurginsky district.

Ekaterina Antonova, Anna Prokopieva and Valentina Serebrennikova

I have known the first two for a long time, and earlier, more than once or twice, I suggested that they strengthen the composition of the Buranovsky Babushki. Therefore, in the recruitment of new artists, I completely relied on Anna Nikolaevna and Valentina Mikhailovna. They are professionals in their field, they have done a lot for development Udmurt culture. They offered to attract amateur artists from Ludorvay, and I approved their choice, - says Ksenia. - I was at several concerts of the renewed line-up and I am very pleased with them. And not only me. You have to see how the audience takes them!

Many of them are performed by grandmothers to the harmonica of Ekaterina Antonova. In addition, there were old songs that the audience fell in love with and which are indispensable at concerts.

As for Natalya Yakovlevna Pugacheva, who has already appeared on stage several times in a new line-up - for the first time since the operation she underwent in March, then, according to the producer, it was only her desire, she missed the stage and communication.

Nobody forced anyone. It is clear that Natalya Yakovlevna participated in these concerts in a gentle mode - she went 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 be 79 years old, - says Ksenia. - But she is a great fellow, I love her very much and always wait. However, like all other grandmothers, I am ready to cooperate with everyone within the framework of the law.

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

The press secretary of the band, Svetlana Syrygina, told RG that the updated line-up of Buranovsky Babushki included former soloists of the state academic ensemble song and dance of Udmurtia "Italmas" and the republican theater of folk song "Aikay" Anna Prokopieva and Valentina Serebrennikova, as well as Ekaterina Antonova, former head of the Arganchi ensemble of accordionists of the Malopurginsky district of Udmurtia.

According to Syrygina, one of the reasons for the renewal of the group was the age of its main members, most of the "Buranovskiye Babushki" are over 70, it is difficult for them to withstand tour schedule and live nomadic life artist in constant traveling on planes and trains.

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

According to Rubtsova, it is generally impossible to talk about the "old" and "new" composition of the team, because initially there were more of its participants than those that appeared on stage and on television. The ensemble "Buranovskiye 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, were never seen by the general public at all.

The group, which took part in the tour after Eurovision, consisted of 8 people. The artists did not always perform in such a composition, sometimes it changed depending on the state of health or on the workload of household chores. I emphasize once again that "Buranovskiye Babushki" is a project, and not a separate team of the village club, Rubtsova explained.

IN recent months artists from Buranovo 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 line-up, the performance of the Buranovskiye Babushki, as the audience was used to seeing them, turned out to be in question. The group's artistic director Olga Tuktareva told RG that the grandmothers, who won second place at Eurovision 2012 in Baku, would not go on stage with the new participants.

We always said that we would perform until we completed the construction of the temple, after which we would stop touring, because it is hard for grandmothers to travel to concerts so much. We don’t mind if someone after us performs under the Buranovskiye Babushki brand, but please give us the opportunity to complete the construction,” Tuktareva said.

In their interviews, the grandmothers have repeatedly stated that all the money earned on the stage will be spent on the restoration of the Holy Trinity Church, built in the village of Buranovo in 1895 and destroyed in the 1930s. Her grandmother's recovery began immediately after they became famous. Today, the building of the temple 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 allocated to them. Now the pensioners plan to earn the money that needs to be given to contractors on their own.

Ksenia Rubtsova told the correspondent of "RG" that the "House of Lyudmila Zykina" really 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 staff to help grandmothers.

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

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 are behind the scenes. We did not have a goal to make "stars" from a single team of the village club. The original 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 the whole of Russia, the world about the small Udmurt people, their culture and traditions. The Buranovskiye Babushki project should grow further, this is normal. It is not normal, from our point of view, to destroy an idea demanded by society, the viewer and creativity, says the producer.

Valentina Pyatchenko, member of the first Buranovskiye Babushki

We don't mope. It is not good to swear or take offense at someone. We travel, we perform, we earn little by little. Under your own name. Let them perform under our name, only let them not sing with our voices, we asked them about it. And 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 not a very pleasant story with the producer, but thanks to her we became so famous ourselves and glorified our native village, we saw the whole world. Thank you very much for this.

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

Let's get to know them better.

Baysarova Face

By profession a plasterer-painter, tiler. 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. She knits every free minute. Beautiful stockings in which grandmothers go on stage are her creation.

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

Koneva Galina

She graduated from the Sarapul Preschool Pedagogical College. She has been a kindergarten teacher all her life. WITH young years performs on stage in amateur performances and has not participated in ski competitions for only two years - Galina Nikolaevna has 1 adult category in cross-country skiing.

The core of the team, the generator of ideas. No wonder her friends call her "mush mummy" - the queen bee. If she lived in the city, she would certainly become a statesman.

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

Natalya Yakovlevna Pugacheva

She studied at school for only one year, then the war began - it was no longer up to school. All her life she worked on a collective farm in the village of Buranovo.

They say about such people: small, but remote. Indeed, everything works! And he also has a great sense of humor.

Raised 4 children. Now she has 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 translations of songs 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 your own greenhouse.

Two children.

Pyatchenko Valentina

First she learned to be a seamstress, then she graduated from the Faculty of History and Philology of the Udmurt Pedagogical Institute. For 21 years she worked as a teacher of Russian language and literature in Turkmenistan, where her husband was sent to serve. But family life did not work out, and in 1984 Valentina Semyonovna returned with her children to her native village, where she worked at a school until her retirement.

In 1998, while working on a circular saw, she lost right hand(puts on a prosthesis to go on stage). Over time, she learned to do everything herself: sew on a typewriter, bake pies, cook delicious jam. Last summer I collected 8 buckets of forest strawberries in a week! And even in the driest summer, she manages to collect the largest harvest from the garden. In the team she is called "shirpi", in Russian - a little mouse. She is so quiet.

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

Dorodova Zoya

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

The most sedate and laconic member of the team. If you need to cook lunch on trips, then 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 in charge of the museum in the Buranovsky House of Culture. It was no coincidence that she changed her job: the whole family collected antiques. So the family hobby became a profession.

An accountant in life - loves clarity and order in everything. She loves to solve Sudoku.

Three children.

Shklyaeva Ekaterina

When I was in the 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 after 6 years her husband died. She returned to her native village and worked in agriculture Buranovo village.

The tuning fork of the collective - the tonality is checked on it. Kvass the most delicious cabbage. In her pockets there is always bread for birds: wherever grandmothers come, she feeds pigeons, sparrows, ducks everywhere.

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

When they took the stage of the Russian stage of the Eurovision-2010 contest, the hall met them standing. Young people, famous musicians and respectable producers looked at the performance of a unique team and were surprised to discover a new name for themselves Russian show business Buranovskiye grandmothers.

The originality and sincerity of the performers conquered the Russian public at first sight. It was a surprise for the audience that the grandmothers, who are 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 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 performance of grandmothers instantly became a hit on the Russian Internet, it was posted by many news portals and websites. In just a couple of days, more than 30 thousand people watched it.

Internet users commented admiringly on the performances of grandmothers: “Grandmothers ...” - just super! How did they manage to start the hall! It's just amazing. The audience gave them a standing ovation. “Grandmothers…” could easily win Eurovision with their originality, unformattedness and originality. "Grandmothers ..." - well done. I wish them good health and good luck!”

It was a resounding victory!

The triumphal 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 a member of the team, Elizaveta Filippovna Zarbatova, or simply Baba Liza. At that time, the Buranovskiye Babushki collective was still being created. Baba Liza admitted that she is glad that many people have heard her song. Baba Liza herself would go to Moscow with pleasure, but the years are not the same - she is 84.

The song sings about the difficult fate of women: an Udmurt woman, going out into the field, turns to a birch tree: “How can I make aishon out of birch bark? How to weave a belt from linen? There are seven shops in the house - how to feed them? In the stall - a young mare - how to teach her to plow? I go out into the field - the distance is boundless - how can I, an unlearned one, plow the land and sow seeds?

Many experts from show business are wondering: what is the phenomenon of grandmothers? "Buranovskiye Babushki" is a small team led by Olga Nikolaevna Tuktareva. The smallest "star" of the group - the soloist Baba Natasha proudly bears the name Pugacheva. 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, singing the songs of Tsoi, Grebenshchikov and the Beatles in the Udmurt language.

They keep those true values that 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 it with understanding.

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

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

For several years now, Europe has been experiencing a boom - the fashion for folklore. There are no analogues of "Buranovsky grandmothers" in show business today. None of the experts can give a clear definition in what style or genre grandmothers sing. But one thing is known for sure - the Buranovskiye Babushki ethnic project 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, a tribe lived, from which many Finno-Ugric peoples, including the Udmurts, were formed. The ancestors of the Finno-Ugric peoples were observant, they knew the laws of the world and nature. Their descendants dispersed throughout Europe, speaking different languages. All of them today make up a large Finno-Ugric world. Who knows, maybe this is why advanced European youth are so interested in a 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 country club with Russians folk songs. However special success was not, so the songs in the Udmurt language were included in the repertoire, which the fellow villagers liked.

Today, the group includes 12 people, but due to age and health, only 8 participants go on tour: Granya Ivanovna Baisarova, 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 - 68 years old, with the oldest of them being 86 years old, and the youngest participant - 43 years old.

Buranovskiye Babushki perform in national Udmurt costumes: dresses made of self-woven fabric, 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 specimens of the Catherine's era.

Wide popularity came to the ensemble after participating in the festival "New Ancient Earth" and the Day mother tongue held in Izhevsk in 2008. "Buranovskiye Babushki" sang the songs "Golden City" by Boris Grebenshchikov and Viktor Tsoi's "A Star Called the Sun" in the Udmurt language. Some of the audience 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, Buranovskiye Babushki performed at the anniversary of Lyudmila Zykina, and then a contract with the director of the House of Lyudmila Zykina, Ksenia Rubtsova, who began to promote them on television to participate in various shows, anniversary and combined concerts, and today is the producer of the team.

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 for Eurovision 2012.

Almost all grandmothers, with the exception of Olga Tuktareva, are retired. They are engaged in farming, working in the garden, caring for livestock. "Buranovskiye Babushki" honor and preserve the traditions of their people. Their forces opened a museum in the village of Buranovo national culture, the exhibits of which were items of clothing and household items, the age of which is up to 200 years.

In addition, "Buranovskiye Babushki" organized the construction of a church in the village on the site of the one that had been destroyed in time. This is what is a powerful incentive for the team, and all the proceeds from concerts, tours and various TV shows, the members of the ensemble direct to restoration.

At first there was euphoria. The motherland met them as heroines.

- They wanted to secretly return to Buranovo - but where is it!- recalls Galina Koneva. —It was impossible to get off the plane ladder - everyone went out onto the airfield. Halfway to the village, people stood with flags and perepechs (Udmurt cheesecakes with different fillings. - Auth.). They sing, they roar. We roar. Nobody thought about winning. Village ones! How many of us have Moscow asked us to take off our bast shoes and antique dresses. But these are national clothes - from chests, from attics. Yes, we are old.

The youngest in the team 49-year-old artistic director Olga Tuktareva has been working with grandmothers for a quarter of a century. They are all like “antique” for selection: the eldest is 81 years old. A good half of large families. Each has its share. Valentina Pyatchenko the circular saw cut off part of her arm - so with her left hand she adapted herself to plant a vegetable garden and weave rugs. Ekaterina Shklyaeva broke her hip. She left the hospital - and continue to sing. Several women have had cancer. “Everyone recovered, real fighters,” says Olga.

Who knew Buranovo before? It seems close at hand near the capital of Udmurtia, but, consider, there were no roads. Gas - only in half of the houses. The electric poles are about to collapse. After the success of the grandmothers at Eurovision, the problems were resolved as if by magic. The school received assistance, the recreation center was restored. The international festival has died down twice in the Buranovsky expanses.

Today, like 125 years ago, there are almost 700 inhabitants in Buranovo, and it looks like an ordinary village.

— No-no! smiles Olga Tuktareva. — "Grandmothers" were not born in an empty place. There has always been intelligence here. A school, a hospital, a library in the village were among the first to open in Udmurtia. Priests were teachers. Including father Grigory Vereshchagin ethnographer, educator In 1927, he was deprived of his spiritual title, almost shot. The villagers hid the father in the forests. The temple was closed. But in 1939 my mother was also christened here and Galina Nikolaevna Koneva- the participants of 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 Grebenshchikov, Valentina Pyatchenko recalls. - Olga translated them, we recorded a disc. It all started with that fee.

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

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

- We accidentally saw them on the Internet,— says Galina Koneva. - It hurt a lot...

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

- We are touring, and she says that the grandmothers are old, they are sick, they cannot travel,- complains Granya Baysarov. - He tells about the new singers that they performed at Eurovision, the temple is being built. And they have never been here. Yes, and Rubtsova designed the brand for herself. We don't mind that band performing. Let them sing and dance. Just don't throw mud at us.

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

- People understand who is who, Granya Baysarova is sure. - They are greeted with caution: are they real? And they will see us - and thaw. They tell about the new team: the audience came - they realized that the grandmothers were "fake", and left.

"Grandmothers" woke up the people. In Udmurtia, they grew like mushrooms after the rain folk groups. The youth returned to the club - puts on performances. The farm worked. And golden domes glitter in the sun: for two years now, services have been held in the Church of the Holy Trinity.

-Money still needed- is going through Alevtina Begisheva.- Cracks on the walls have gone, the doors need to be changed - it's cold in winter. We want to build a house for the lonely at the temple. A refectory was started with a guest room, so that people would have somewhere to spend the night. As long as we put it in. On mattresses.

After the grandmothers became famous, their own souvenirs appeared in Buranovo. Photo: AiF / Tatyana Ulanova

Kyraalom zhon-zhon-zhon

- 50 million invested in infrastructure, could develop the village,- protrudes from behind a tall fence unusual for the village designer Alexander Pilin, who bought the house of the merchant Larionov opposite the Palace of Culture. “I came here on a mission to uplift the village. He said: let's sell products, boots! I won even Buranovsky's air mothballed. Could do Cultural Center, pet zoo, market. But the locals don't care. The audience we have with grandmothers is different. 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, lectures abroad. In his house, you can see a black square made of worn socks, “hear” the hymn to lowered pants, and buy a stylish felt carpet in the form of a gramophone record. But he is a Westerner, grandmothers are Slavophiles. And it is difficult for them to understand each other.

- Crowds will pour here - sincerity will leave,- says Alevtina Begisheva.

- The Udmurts have a proverb: do not break forward, do not lag behind, do not hang out in the middle, - summarizes Olga Tuktareva. “To finish building the temple, to maintain it—these are our plans.

* The material contains lines in English and Udmurt from the song with which the Buranovskiye Babushki won the Eurovision Song Contest:

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

- Let's sing loudly.