Chennai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Wednesday congratulated the people of Chennai on the metropolis' inclusion in the Creative Cities Network of Unesco for its contributions to music.
Unesco had on Tuesday announced that Chennai, often called as cultural capital of South India, has been elected as one of the 64 cities across the globe to be included in the CCN list. The city joined two other cities in India -- Jaipur and Varanasi -- to have figured in the prestigious list for their contributions to music and folk arts respectively.
“Congratulations to the people of Chennai on the city's inclusion in the Unesco Creative Cities Network for its rich musical tradition. Chennai's contribution to our rich culture is precious. This is a proud moment for India,” Modi said in a statement in New Delhi.
The dossier to nominate Chennai for the CCN was submitted a few months back to the Unesco by the Union culture ministry. Once a city is included on the list, it holds the Unesco monitors cultural events for four years to highlight its USP - in Chennai's case - its music. CCN currently has 116 member cities from 54 countries, covering various fields.
Chief Minister Palaniswami also thanked Prime Minister Modi for “congratulating the people of Chennai for this unique distinction” and said the people of Chennai love their music and it is a part of their culture and tradition.
In a separate statement, the Chief Minister said it was a proud moment for the entire state that the city of Chennai was chosen for such a rare honour. “I congratulate the people of Chennai, artists, musicians and others for the honour,” he said.
