An incident that took place in 1844 shook Tiruchi. Though widow remarriage was common among some sections of the intermediate communities and Dalits, it was an anathema to Brahmins and other caste Hindus, including Vellalas. Rev. John Baptiste Trincal, a French Jesuit, temporarily in charge of St. Mary’s Church, secretly presided over the marriage between a widow and a youth in the Vellala community. This paved the way for remarriage and rehabilitation of widows.
Trincal himself was taken aback when the youth approached him with a request since widow remarriage was not prevalent among the caste Hindus. He realised that Christianity too could not bring about a change among those who have converted to the new faith. It was a question of who will bell the cat? “Why should I not bell the cat? An enthusiasm engulfed Trincal. God has given an opportunity to bless such a marriage,” thought Trincal, the real-life character as portrayed in the Tamil biographical novel Munnathi, penned by Fr. Mark Stephen.
