Which of the following statements are true about A. K.
Ramanujan?

A. He is a poet of the sixties.
B. His poetry draws his sustenance from his awareness of
Hindu heritage.
C. He has poor sense of rhythm.
D. His verse poorly utilises Akam constructed techniques.
E. He utilises Akam constructed techniques in his poetry.

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

The correct answer is A, B and E only.

Let us analyze the statements step-by-step to understand why this option is correct:

Statement A: He is a poet of the sixties.
A. K. Ramanujan (Attipate Krishnaswami Ramanujan) was a major Indian poet writing in English whose creative peak and critical recognition began in the 1960s. His first volume of poetry, The Striders, was published in 1966, followed by Relations in 1971. Thus, he is widely regarded as one of the prominent Indian-English poets of the sixties generation. Therefore, Statement A is true.

Statement B: His poetry draws his sustenance from his awareness of Hindu heritage.
Ramanujan's poetry is deeply rooted in his personal memories, Indian family life, and his cultural and religious roots. He often writes from the perspective of an expatriate looking back at his upbringing, drawing immense creative sustenance from his awareness of his Hindu heritage, traditions, and classical Indian literature. Therefore, Statement B is true.

Statement C: He has poor sense of rhythm.
This statement is incorrect. Ramanujan is highly celebrated for his meticulous craftsmanship, linguistic precision, and a keen, sophisticated sense of rhythm and wordplay in his poetry. Therefore, Statement C is false.

Statement D and E: The use of Akam constructed techniques.
Ramanujan was a renowned translator of classical Tamil poetry. He translated ancient Tamil love poems, which are classified under the classical Tamil poetic convention of Akam (interior/love poetry, contrasted with Puram or exterior/war poetry). He successfully adapted and utilized these Akam structured techniques (such as using specific landscapes, interiorized emotions, and subtle imagery) in his own English poetry. Thus, Statement D ("His verse poorly utilises Akam constructed techniques") is false, and Statement E ("He utilises Akam constructed techniques in his poetry") is true.

Based on this analysis, the true statements are A, B, and E.