Man explains why he got Statue of Liberty replica put on his roof as internet is left in stitches
Topics: India, Social Media, Travel
Poppy Bilderbeck
Featured Image Credit: X/@WeekendInvestng
Topics: India, Social Media, Travel
A man has spoken out about why he decided to get a replica of the Statue of Liberty placed on top of his house in India.
Fancy skipping the queues at New York's Statue of Liberty? Well, how about a plane ticket to Punjab in India?
A video - first uploaded to X by Alok Jain - has gone viral showing a replica version of America's historical landmark being set up on the top of a house in a village in Punjab.
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The video shows a crane next to the large house, alongside the replica statue up at the top, a group of men helping get it positioned and also posing for the camera.
Designed by sculptor Manjit Singh Gill, from Ghal Kalan village, the statue is reported by The Indian Express as having taken around two months to complete.
It's made from fibre-glass, measuring not quite the real Statue of Liberty's 305-feet but a still-impressive 18-feet tall.
And it's not taken long for people to flood to the footage to weigh in.
One X user wrote: "Location plz. Could save myself some money anf flying time."
Another added: "Now he will collect dollars for entry into his house."
A third commented: "Statue of Punjab."
And a fourth theorized: "Five years back we did a culture research in Punjab, and to our surprise we found many families installing water tanks shaped as airplane, Statue of Liberty, Big Ben etc.
"This was a way of showing others that one of the sons / family member has moved abroad (even if they are driving a taxi there)."
But why has it been installed on the top of a house in a small village in India?
Well, the owner of the house, Gurmeet Singh Brar, told The Indian Express he moved to the US back in 2006 and started a transport business - with his family already owning one in India which was started by his late father.
The 46-year-old explained he 'always had this dream of getting settled in the US' which he calls 'the most powerful country in the world' and so the replica is ultimately his family's 'tribute to America'.
"[It's] given us a lot since we came here," he continued.
"Not only our business flourished after moving to the US, but we are also leading a good life.
"The first thing that came to our mind when we thought of having a statue related to the US at our Punjab home was the Statue of Liberty.
"The entire world knows where it is located, so a glance at it and people would know that our family has a US connection.”
He added he still visits Punjab 'every year at least once' and so despite moving to the US, he'll still get to see and appreciate the statue.