Minsk. The bronze sculpture "Grandma with seeds".

A woman has been sitting in the very heart of Minsk, where real, vibrant life is in full swing, and not the parade center of the avenues, for almost two decades now. She's in no hurry: she waits patiently for her customer, basking in the sun and watching the eternal stream of people. The bronze "Grandma with seeds" at the entrance to the Komarovsky market has long ceased to be just a monument - it has become a symbol of the city, its kind spirit and a bridge into the recent but bygone past.

It's easy to find her. It is enough to come to the corner of Vera Khoruzhey and Kuibyshev streets (exact address: Vera Khoruzhey St., 8; coordinates: 53.919429, 27.576731), and you will see a modest bench on which an elderly saleswoman is located. Dressed in a simple sweatshirt and headscarf, over which she wears an apron filled with cherished goods, she seems tired after a long day at work. Next to her are the constant companions of the urban suburbs: a pair of sparrows perched right on a bench and pecking food from her palm. There is no pathos, no monumentality in this scene, there is only a simple and touching truth of life.

The fate of this monument is interesting. Opened in 2006, the sculpture was immediately overgrown with folk legends and omens. Many mistakenly attribute its authorship to the famous Minsk sculptor Vladimir Zhbanov, the creator of "The Lady with the Doggie" and "The Photographer". However, in fact, Oleg Kupriyanov had a hand in this work. And the monument has more than one name: officially, it is perhaps the most sincere monument to small business in the country.

For the older generation, this grandmother is nostalgia. During the times of scarcity and perestroika, it was such merchants who sat at the entrance to markets and shops, offering a paper bag of freshly fried seeds for a ruble. It was a special ritual: to stand, have a few words with the saleswoman, pour out a full pocket and go slowly about business, peeling them and spitting out the husks. It was the sound of time.

Today, the time has changed. Sunflower seeds are sold in bright packages in supermarkets, and street trade has almost disappeared. But the bronze grandmother remains. She sits and waits patiently for us, reminding us that the true soul of the city does not live in the mirrored glass of skyscrapers, but in such inconspicuous, but infinitely native corners.

By the way, students and sellers from Komarovka claim that the statue brings good luck. They say that if you pass by and imperceptibly touch one of the bronze sparrows, the day will turn out well, and if you stroke the sunflower seeds in your apron, financial problems will be avoided. Whether this is true or not is unknown, but the bronze birds on the bench have been polished to a high gloss by thousands of passers-by. Sit down next to your grandmother, make a wish, and maybe in the noise of the big city you will hear the soft rustle of sunflower seeds - the whisper of old Minsk.