Chennai, often called as cultural capital of South India, joined the elite club of world cities on Tuesday when it was included in Creative Cities Network of Unesco for its contributions to music.

CHENNAI: Chennai, often called as cultural capital of South India, joined the elite club of world cities on Tuesday when it was included in Creative Cities Network of Unesco for its contributions to music. The city joins two other cities in India - Jaipur and Varanasi - to have figured in the prestigious list for their contributions to music and folk arts. The dossier to nominate Chennai for the CCN was submitted a few months back to the Unesco by the Union culture Ministry.

“Congratulations Chennai-included in @UNESCO Creative Cities Network for your contribution to music. 3rd Indian city after Jaipur & Varanasi,” Union defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman wrote on her Twitter page. Once a city is included on the list, it holds cultural events for four years to highlight its USP and this is monitored by the Unesco. CCN currently has 116 member cities from 54 countries, covering various fields.