In the tradition of her favourite musicians, radio jockey Angelina Gurung, Angel to her listeners, has broken her share of rules. Her latest protest in a social climate that molly coddles pregnant women, was working well into her third trimester. A week overdue and seven days into her maternity leave, she was still live on air everyday on HITS FM, 91.2. In fact, she worked overtime in her ninth month to pre-record shows that will air through January while she is on leave.

This 25-year-old brushes off any attempts to turn her into a symbol for The New Nepali Woman. "I wasn't sick, just pregnant," she laughs. "It may seem amazing that I worked till my due date, but if women do it in the hills and plains, so can city women."

It helps that Angel loves her job and her audience, for whom she spins classic hits from the 50s to the 80s six days a week during Kathmandu's nerve-wracking morning commute hours. What soothes her soul is the Beatles, who make a regular appearance on her programme, as do Bob Dylan and Janis Joplin, musicians that inspired their generation to stand up against war and neo-colonialism and for women's rights.

Although they are aware of her on-air persona, most of Angel's listeners don't know she is married, much less that she worked right through her pregnancy. Her strong practical nature makes Angel a rebel with a cause. Angel and her husband eloped to Singapore instead of burdening their parents with footing the bill of a lavish and protracted wedding ceremony. The parental resistance has all but melted away with the arrival of the baby.

Trust Angel to be back in the studio after a 30-day maternity leave. "It's going to be tough, but my career is very important to me," she says. "Running home for afternoon feeds are not going to last forever, so I'll go with the flow. Besides, even mothers need independence!" And, as Aretha Franklin, another of Angel's favourites, spelled out:
R-E-S-P-E-C-T.