She carries the news from Kabhre to the capital. She roams the town looking for scoops, writes news and helps in editing as well. And she is probably the journalist with the longest commute in Nepal.

By the time she drives home to Dhulikhel in her trusted Kawasaki Calibre, it is already 10 at night. Reporter Bhagwati Timilsina has grown used to the 100 km roundtrip everyday on her bike across two districts to reach her office Kamana Publications. And it is a matter of both interest and compulsion. I have chosen journalism as my career but the challenge is to do that and manage my household, says the 32-year-old reporter.

When she started with journalism almost a decade ago, Bhagwati commuted to and fro to Kathmandu in a bus. For two or three years in between, she tried living in Kathmandu but her love for home and her social involvement in Dhulikhel led her to shift base once more. The motorbike gives her more mobility and also makes it hassle-free to commute back and forth.

Bhagwati and her motorcycle are well-recognised on the highway out of the eastern edge of the Valley. It is not just a sign of her determination but also her identity. As a female reporter, Bhagwati is the perfect role model for her peers. Her courage and determination can be seen in the progress she has made in the print media, rising from a hawker of the Mahanagar Dainik to assistant editor at Nepal Samacharpatra. Says editor Pushkar Lal Shrestha about Bhagwati: She is an example of courage and more women should strive to be like her.

But Bhagwati shrugs off the praise. For her the commitment and determination are a normal part of her career. She says matter-of-factly: If you put your mind to it, nothing is impossible.