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Udham Singh Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 14, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth28 December 1899

Age41 Years (at time of death)

BirthplaceSunam, Punjab

ProfessionRevolutionary Freedom Fighter

NationalityIndian

FamilyFather: Tehal Singh; Mother: Narain Kaur; Brother: Sadhu Singh

Udham Singh Biography

Udham Singh was a Punjabi revolutionary known for assassinating Sir Michael O’ Dwyer in 1940 to avenge the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Born in Sunam in 1899

Early life and background

Udham Singh was born Sher Singh on 28 December 1899 in Sunam, Punjab. Orphaned young after the deaths of his mother and later his father, he and his brother were admitted to the Central Khalsa Orphanage in Amritsar. At the orphanage he received a new name and identity; Sher Singh became Udham Singh and his brother Mukta Singh became Sadhu Singh. He completed his matriculation in 1918 and left the orphanage the following year.

Singh came from a peasant Punjabi Kamboj Sikh family and is recorded as belonging to the Other Backward Classes (OBC) social category. Although publicly remembered as a Sikh shaheed, accounts in his later life describe complex and evolving views about religion: he kept a clean-shaven appearance, used multiple names and aliases, and at times identified with a range of cultural and religious references.

Career

Udham Singh’s turn toward militant politics followed the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919. Whether he was present at the massacre or arrived as a volunteer afterward has not been conclusively established in surviving accounts, but the event marked a decisive shift in his life and set him on a long path of revolutionary activity.

After leaving the orphanage, Singh served as a manual labourer in the British Indian Army during the First World War and travelled overseas. In the early 1920s he became involved with the Ghadar movement, distributing nationalist literature in Punjab and later working closely with the London-based Indian Workers’ Association. His time in East Africa and North America deepened those connections: he moved to San Francisco in 1924, where the Ghadar movement had a major presence, and toured the United States to recruit and organize. He also established the Azad Party as an offshoot of the Ghadar movement while abroad.

Singh spent the 1920s and 1930s moving between continents and taking on a variety of occupations to support his revolutionary work. He travelled widely — visiting countries across Europe, Asia and beyond — and used many aliases including Ude Singh, Frank Brazil, Udhan Singh, Uday Singh and Ram Mohammad Singh Azad. In 1927 he returned to India and was involved in smuggling weapons and banned literature for revolutionary groups. He was arrested in Amritsar on 30 August 1927 under the Arms Act and given a five-year sentence, of which he served about four years before being released on 23 October 1931.

During his years as an activist he associated with several organisations, notably the Ghadar Party, the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA), and the Indian Workers’ Association. Accounts from his prison years indicate he regarded Bhagat Singh as a mentor figure and carried close loyalty to fellow revolutionaries.

The act for which Udham Singh is best known took place in March 1940, when he assassinated Sir Michael O’ Dwyer, the former Lieutenant Governor of Punjab who had been associated with the events of Jallianwala Bagh. For this act he was tried, sentenced, and executed in Pentonville Prison, London, on 31 July 1940 at the age of 41.

Public profile

Udham Singh has been memorialized in a number of ways across India and abroad. His childhood room at the Central Khalsa Orphanage in Amritsar has been converted into a museum. Places and institutions have been named after him, including a district titled Udham Singh Nagar and a public chowk carrying his name. The Punjab government renamed his birthplace Sunam as Sunam Udham Singh Wala. Memorials and statues — including a 10-foot figure commemorating his connection to Jallianwala Bagh — have been erected, and his personal items such as a knife, a diary and a bullet from the Caxton Hall shooting are preserved in museum collections.

His life and actions have inspired music and cinema. Bands and artists have released music dedicated to him, and multiple films have dramatized his story over decades. The 2021 film Sardar Udham renewed public attention to his life and was part of discussions around India’s entry to the Academy Awards that year.

Latest updates

Udham Singh’s martyrdom is observed in parts of India, and 31 July is marked as Shaheed Udham Singh’s Martyrdom Day in Punjab and Haryana. Annual marches and commemorations take place in his native town. Museums, stamps and public commemorations continue to keep his memory in public view.

Career highlights

Udham Singh’s career as a revolutionary spanned roughly 1924 to 1940, during which he worked with the Ghadar Party, HSRA and the Indian Workers’ Association. His most consequential act was the assassination of Sir Michael O’ Dwyer in 1940, an action he said was linked to avenging the Jallianwala Bagh victims.

Personal life

Sources differ on aspects of Udham Singh’s private life. Some accounts state he married a Mexican woman named Lupe and fathered two sons, while other contemporary reports describe him as unmarried. His parents were Tehal Singh and Narain Kaur; his elder brother Sadhu Singh died in 1917.

Legacy

Udham Singh is remembered as a committed revolutionary whose life intersected with key anti-colonial movements of the early 20th century. Whether through films, memorials, or public holidays, his name remains a focal point in discussions of resistance to colonial rule and the memory of Jallianwala Bagh.
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Recent Work

Assassination of Sir Michael O’ Dwyer

Singh assassinated the former Lieutenant Governor of Punjab in March 1940 to avenge the Jallianwala Bagh massacre; he was tried and executed on 31 July 1940.

1940
Sardar Udham (film portrayal)

The 2021 film dramatized Udham Singh’s life and brought renewed attention to his story; actor Vicky Kaushal played the lead role.

2021
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Career Highlights

  1. Active years: 1924–1940
  2. Associated with the Ghadar Party, Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA), and Indian Workers' Association
  3. Assassinated Sir Michael O’ Dwyer in 1940
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Udham Singh born?

28 December 1899

What is Udham Singh known for?

Revolutionary Freedom Fighter