In ancient Tamilakam, how were individuals who displayed generosity perceived?

1) They were considered gullible and taken advantage of.
2) They were respected and admired by the community.
3) They were despised and looked down upon.
4) They were considered weak and inferior.

2

The correct answer is Option 2 - 2

2) They were respected and admired by the community.

We have examined situations where people either claimed or were assigned status on the basis of their wealth. However, there were other possibilities as well; situations where men who were generous were respected, while those who were miserly or simply accumulated wealth for themselves were despised. One area where these values were cherished was ancient Tamilakam, where, as we saw earlier, there were several chiefdoms around 2,000 years ago. Amongst other things, the chiefs were patrons of bards and poets who sang their praise. Poems included in the Tamil Sangam anthologies often illuminate social and economic relationships, suggesting that while there were differences between rich and poor, those who controlled resources were also expected to share them.