PM's recognition of Chennai's music gives us hope: Kamal Haasan

Tamil actor Kamal Haasan, who has plans for a political plunge, has welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's praise towards inclusion of Chennai in Unesco's list of Creative Cities for its contribution to music.

Unesco, the United Nations cultural organisation, on Wednesday, included Chennai in its list of Creative Cities for its contribution to music.

"The recognition and praise for Chennai from Unesco for music fans is long overdue. We prefer praise from others. Our honourable PM recognizing it affirms our hope that South will not diminish inspite of its detractors," Kamal tweeted on Wednesday night.

Modi had hailed the development by tweeting on Wednesday: "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."

The Unesco Creative Cities Network (UCCN) was created in 2004. It highlights its members' creativity within seven fields: Crafts and folk art, design, film, gastronomy, literature, media arts and music.

The UCCN now counts a total of 180 cities in 72 countries. Alba city in Italy tops the list.