BURANOVO, May 22 (RIA Novosti) – The authorities in the Urals republic of Udmurtia have allocated 50 million rubles ($1.6 million) to repair the roads in Buranovo, the home village of Buranovskiye Babushki, a sextet of Russian grannies who finished second at the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest.
The republic’s head, Alexander Volkov, made the announcement on Wednesday as the region celebrated Babushka (Grandmother) Day.
Babushka Day was declared a local holiday last year in Udmurtia, after the colorful grannies won the hearts of millions of Eurovision viewers by performing their song "Party for Everybody" in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Volkov said the babushkas’ performance, which he called “an act of civil bravery,” has brought significant change to their village, where funds have been allocated to repair the electric power supply, a water main and a local culture center.
“The village would have been unlikely to undergo any changes, as we have 2,500 such villages…” Volkov said, as the geriatric stars received awards at a concert in the newly reconstructed culture center.
The grannies, some over 70 years old, have asked for Babushka Day to be celebrated in Russia as a national public holiday. “This is not within my powers,” Volkov said. “We hope that the country’s leadership will listen to this and I fully support such a decision.”
“Being a grandmother or a grandfather is a person’s distinguished title… The meaning of babushka could be described in one word – love,” Volkov said.
