Consider the following statements about Sangam literature. 1. The narrative texts are called Melkanakku. 2. The didactic texts are called Kilkanakku. 3. Thirukkural is a major Sangam text. 4. Many Sangam texts were the works of Brahmana scholars. Which of the following are correct?

Explanation

The narrative texts of the Sangam literature are called Melkannakku. These are 18 major works consisting of eight anthologies and ten idylls. The didactic works are called Kilkanakku or Eighteen Minor. The Tirukku a , or shortly the Kural, is a classic Tamil language text consisting of 1,330 short couplets, or kurals, of seven words each. The text is divided into three books with aphoristic teachings on virtue, wealth and love, respectively. The Sangam literature was composed by 473 poets, some 102 anonymous. According to Nilakanta Sastri, the poets came from diverse backgrounds: some were from a royal family, some merchants, some farmers. At least 27 of the poets were women. These poets emerged, states Nilakanta Sastri, in a milieu where the Tamil society had already interacted and inseparably amalgamated with north Indians (Indo-Aryan) and both sides had shared mythology, values and literary conventions.