India, Sept. 22 -- "Do you want to just see it from a distance or do you wish to experience it from close quarters?" my son asked when I expressed the desire to go to the Statue of Liberty in New York. I chose the second option. As we headed towards the iconic statue in a ferry, its impressive stature was overwhelming. Built and conceived by Auguste Fredric Bartholdi in 1886, the marvellous gift of France to the US is a monument of immense significance. Not many know that the inner framework of the statue was built by Gustave Eiffel, famous for building the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Thin copper plates imported from Norway were fixed over the iron framework to give shape to a monument that epitomises freedom, integrity and liberation. On reaching Staten Island, one has to climb almost 250 steps, equivalent to 10 storeys, to reach the top of the pedestal to admire the monument, and the farsightedness of the engineers of yore. The late 19th and the early 20th century saw the biggest surge in immigration to the US and the majority of immigrants came from Europe, particularly the Scandinavian countries, and Russia. They arrived in the US through New York. Over time, the Statue of Liberty emerged as a symbol of hope for generations of migrants. In her 1883 poem, The New Colossus, American poet Emma Lazarus immortalised the statue as a global symbol of immigration and opportunity, earning her the title of the Mother of Exiles. Before returning to the shore, the ferry drops tourists at the nearby Ellis Island in New York Harbour. It houses the National Museum of Immigration that has records and exhibits related to 1.2 crore immigrants who passed through the immigration station between 1892 and 1954. The museum analyses the history, relevance and significance of immigration threadbare. A range of emotions grip the visitor at the museum. Original photos of helpless immigrants from varied countries strike a chord. Soul-stirring sagas of families who arrived with the dream for a better future is aptly reflected in the museum. Passports of their native countries, their belongings, traditional attire and difficulties they faced at the port of entry are exhibited in the galleries. Penniless, they undertook a long journey by ships and underwent a health check-up on arrival. They were deported if found to be suffering from infections, such as Trachoma and Scarlet fever. 'An island of dreams. An island of tears.' That's the title of a 30-minute movie shown at a theatre in the precincts of the museum. With voices of people who managed to survive the hardships of immigration supported by original photos and rare footage of the times when they came to the US to realise their dreams is poignantly portrayed. On the way back, the words of an Italian immigrant, prominently displayed at the museum, kept playing in my mind: "Well, I came to America because I heard the streets were paved with gold. When I got here, I found out three things. First, the streets were not paved in gold; second, the streets were not paved at all; and the third, I was expected to pave them." Metaphorically, it holds true to an extent even today....