First Punjabi theatre actress Uma Gurbaksh dies at 93

Uma Gurbaksh Singh (93), the first Punjabi theatre actress and daughter of novelist Gurbaksh Singh Preetlari, passed away in Amritsar on Saturday after prolonged illness, her family members said. She was cremated in her hometown.

Gurbaksh was just 13 when she acted in the play 'Rajkumari Latika', written by her father.

Before Independence, she staged several plays. In 1944, she was jailed along with seven other artistes for staging the play 'Hulle Hulare' against the British rule, said her younger brother Hirdaypaul Singh, who is the General Secretary of the Gurbaksh Singh Nanak Singh Foundation.