At a time when most teenagers are busy following trends on social media or spending their time reading entertainment content like manga and manhwa, a 17-year-old student from Patna has chosen a very different path — one that is spiritual, intellectual, and socially meaningful.
Shrey Singh, a 17-year-old student from Patna and one of the youngest authors in Bihar, recently passed out from Don Bosco Academy, Patna (2024-25). According to him, his teachers played an important role in shaping his thinking and inspiring him to look at social issues from a deeper and more meaningful perspective.
The idea for his book began with a simple but powerful question: do religions really teach people to hate others, or have people misunderstood their original message? Instead of depending on opinions or online debates, the teenager decided to search for the answer himself.
Inspired by the message shown in the film OMG – Oh My God, he began reading three major religious scriptures — the Bhagavad Gita, the Quran, and the Holy Bible. What makes the effort unusual is not only the subject, but also the age at which he chose to do it.
According to the young author, while reading these scriptures he began noticing what he describes as a clear pattern in their teachings. Despite being written in different eras and different cultures, the core ethical ideas appeared remarkably similar. Truthfulness, compassion, discipline, respect for humanity, moral responsibility, and the importance of character were values that appeared repeatedly in all three texts.
This realization eventually turned into a book titled “The Unified Ethic”, along with its Hindi version “एकीकृत नैतिकता (Ekekrit Naitikta)”. Instead of comparing religions in a controversial way, the book focuses on the idea that the original teachings of major religions were meant to guide people toward unity and ethical living rather than conflict.
The young author has also met respected public figures including Shri Ram Kripal Yadav, Hon’ble Agriculture Minister, Bihar, and Shri Rajesh Ranjan (Pappu Yadav), Member of Parliament from Purnea, and shared the idea behind his book with them. According to him, the encouragement from such senior public figures has further motivated him to continue working toward meaningful social contributions.
Shrey Singh says his intention is to encourage the younger generation to read spiritual and meaningful texts instead of depending only on trends and online opinions. He believes that understanding the real teachings of religious scriptures can help reduce misunderstandings and strengthen unity in society.
The 17-year-old author also says he would like to become a leader in the future and contribute something meaningful to society. According to him, leadership does not mean power, but responsibility — especially the responsibility to promote unity, positive thinking, and social harmony among young people.
Apart from writing the book, the young author says he also wants to represent Bihar in a positive and intellectual way. At a time when the state is often portrayed negatively, he believes that young voices working on ideas like unity, ethics, and social harmony can show a completely different side of Bihar to the rest of the country.
Whether the book becomes widely known or simply inspires a few young readers to think differently remains to be seen. But one thing is certain — while many teenagers focus only on entertainment, a 17-year-old boy from Patna has chosen to focus on spiritual learning, social welfare, and meaningful contribution to society, and that itself makes his story worth noticing.
