The father of the famous colourful and innovative painter Amrita Sher-Gil, was was born at Majitha, a village in Amritsar district. He was the eldest son of Raja Surat Singh Majithia. Umrao Singh attended school at Amritsar and later joined the Aitchison College, Lahore. He was married to Narindar Kumari, daughter of Gulab Singh of Atari. Together they visited England in 1896. They went again in 1897 to attend the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. As head of the Majitha family, Umrao Singh was privileged to attend the Coronation darbars in 1903 and 1910. But the feeling that he belonged to a subject race always weighed heavily on his mind. Although he had many friends among the English, he kept virtually aloof amid all social glitter. He began to be looked upon with suspicion by the British and, in secret official correspondence, he was termed 'disaffected.'
