You're More Beautiful Than Your Picture

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 16 October 2025 Musawwir Ne Tasveer Bana Toh Dee Use Bhi Ilm Hai Ke Ye Sirf Tasveer Hai (The painter has delineated a picture, knowing well that it's a mere picture) Your picture was beautiful," he murmured, "but you are more beautiful than your picture"; and the little Princess blushed. Oscar Wilde, The Happy Prince and Other Tales , Chapter 5, pages 37-48 Oscar Wilde's quote highlights the theme of true beauty being more profound than mere appearances. The Prince acknowledges that while a painting can capture beauty, it can't compare to the actual experience of beauty in life. It serves as a reminder that the essence of a person goes far beyond their external qualities, reflecting on the depth of human connection. This reminds you of Sahir's immortal line from the film Taj Mahal (1963), "Jo Baat Tujh Mein Ha Teri Tasveer Mein Nahin." Someone aptly said, "Tasveer Teri Dil Mera Bahla Na Sakegi/ Sharmati Hai Tu Jis Tarh Woh Sharma Na Sakegi" (Your portrait cannot make me genuinely elated/ Because it doesn't smile coyly the way you do). Bejaan Husn Mein Kahan Raftaar Ki Ada/ Inkaar Ki Ada Hai Na Iqraar Ki Ada. A picture is always a poor reflection of a person (Pratikriti satyam aabhasam: Sanskrit poet, Dandi). It's a quasi-reality. It (picture) has the lines and lineaments but it lacks the lustre of a person's persona. This is all the more important and profound in today's context when youngsters fall in love with the pics of the opposite sex before meeting the person. A picture may lie. It hides a lot many things but a person in flesh and blood before you cannot hide much. A mere picture or an AI-generated image or even virtual 'intimacy' on the internet can never take the place of a person with emotions and all the human (or even inhuman) qualities he or she is endowed with. A picture is an illusion; it's an apparition whereas a human is all that's tangible. The intangibility of a picture can never give you the true picture of the person. A picture is a shadow and a shadow never gives the light. That light is provided only by the person whose presence is palpable. The saying "a picture is never the real person" highlights the fundamental limitations of photography and the selective nature of image creation. A photograph captures only a two-dimensional, single moment in time, while a person is a complex, three-dimensional being with a dynamic personality, full of emotions, history, and context. A photograph is only a frozen moment whereas a human is a dynamic entity. What we see on social media, for example, is a highly curated, best-possible version of someone's life, not the full reality. So, go out and meet the person before taking a decision. --- October 16 is the birth anniversary of Oscar Wilde. ---- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/beautiful-picture/d/137262 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism Compose