When I read this story and came across the word 'Babushka', I couldn't help thinking of the 'Mamushka Dance' performed by the Adams brothers in the 1991 movie The Addams Family. Of course it was a totally erroneous connection as apart from the fact that the dance includes a bit of Russian Cossack dancing there is in fact no real connection to Russia. Still its hard to not think of it when you hear the word 'Babushka' .... grandmother
Its a name that's almost as old as Russia itself, and in many minds is one of the enduring images of a visit to Russia, especially during the Soviet era, where these old ladies were employed as concierges, and often as KGB informants, on housing blocks and hotels. They were, and remain, a formidable force in Russian society, as the local district council for the village of Svedniy Bugalish in the Urals recently found out.
The locals had complained that the track to their village had become potholed and was unusable, only to be told by the local authority officials that it was 'fine'. Enraged the local babushka's, joined by a couple of men, determined to fix the issue themselves. So they each chipped in 500 roubles ($8.50; £6.50) each for a truckload of gravel (a not inconsiderable amount for a Russian pensioner to have to find), and set to work repairing the track.
The story was picked up by local news reporters and social media who praised the old ladies as modern heroes while putting the local authority to shame. It emerged that this sort of citizens action was quite common in cash strapped Russia, and that earlier this summer, two young men used stone and cold asphalt to fix their street under similar circumstances
Just to note that one of the ladies seen wielding a pickaxe and shovel was a 90-year-old! No wonder Russia was able to repel the Tartars, Napoleon, and Hitler with such "stern babushkas from the Urals" as the guardians of the motherland.
Still to end the post where I started .....
"We danced the Mamushka while Nero fiddled ... We danced the Mamushka at Waterloo ... We danced the Mamushka for Jack the Ripper. And now, my readers, this Babushka tale is just for you".
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| 'Babushka' .... Grandmother - Tough As Old Boots. |
Its a name that's almost as old as Russia itself, and in many minds is one of the enduring images of a visit to Russia, especially during the Soviet era, where these old ladies were employed as concierges, and often as KGB informants, on housing blocks and hotels. They were, and remain, a formidable force in Russian society, as the local district council for the village of Svedniy Bugalish in the Urals recently found out.
The locals had complained that the track to their village had become potholed and was unusable, only to be told by the local authority officials that it was 'fine'. Enraged the local babushka's, joined by a couple of men, determined to fix the issue themselves. So they each chipped in 500 roubles ($8.50; £6.50) each for a truckload of gravel (a not inconsiderable amount for a Russian pensioner to have to find), and set to work repairing the track.
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| Russian Babushka's .... A Force To Be Reckoned With. |
The story was picked up by local news reporters and social media who praised the old ladies as modern heroes while putting the local authority to shame. It emerged that this sort of citizens action was quite common in cash strapped Russia, and that earlier this summer, two young men used stone and cold asphalt to fix their street under similar circumstances
Just to note that one of the ladies seen wielding a pickaxe and shovel was a 90-year-old! No wonder Russia was able to repel the Tartars, Napoleon, and Hitler with such "stern babushkas from the Urals" as the guardians of the motherland.
Still to end the post where I started .....
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| The Mamushka ... A Wild Dance |
"We danced the Mamushka while Nero fiddled ... We danced the Mamushka at Waterloo ... We danced the Mamushka for Jack the Ripper. And now, my readers, this Babushka tale is just for you".
She can carry that log because there are another 7 inside of her!
ReplyDeleteShh. That's the Babushka's secret .....
ReplyDelete