Opinion: What's the price a soldier pays for your “taxes”?

In a poignant moment at a checkpoint in Ladakh, a woman's remarks about the Indian Army sparked a reflection on the sacrifices made by soldiers.

"We are Gen Z... Our taxes pay your salary!"

The woman who argued with the Indian Army officers.

These words were said to the face of a soldier standing guard at Dras... Ladakh. Where even breathing demands effort from your lungs. In the freezing -15°C winds, where just rolling down the car window sends a shiver through your soul at a checkpoint there.

“Our taxes pay your salary. So now you've become superior to us?” You must have seen that video too. Whether that woman's frustration was justified or not, I don't know. That woman has apologised as well now, but that one sentence she hurled at that soldier "our taxes pay your salary" - that one stung.

And if their ration or Army canteen discounts bother you, then remember the other tax they pay that doesn't show up in any ITR filing.

A soldier pays the tax of his youth, by staying away from his family. He pays the tax of his children's childhood, watching them grow up from the other side of a phone screen. He pays the tax of that cold which settles deep into his bones, and he pays the tax of his own life... when a missile comes from the front.

And what do we do? We give a portion of our salary to the country and think we've done a favor. Without understanding that our tax is merely a contribution, while their service is the guarantee... because of which we sleep peacefully in our homes, plan trips, and make reels in the mountains.

Being Gen Z or any generation is not a license for entitlement.

If you're standing at the country's most sensitive border and still only seeing the world through your car window... then maybe you are paying your taxes, but the nation's account of respect is running empty. If you can't say something good, then stay silent... perhaps even that could be a contribution to the country. Jai Hind.