It seemed like mission impossible. But after an edge-OF-the-car-seat ride through Delhi’s upmarket Shantipath, a three-hour wait outside the heavily guarded American Embassy filled with will-she-won’t-she suspense, countless phone calls and stringent security checks, Verve managed to get an audience with the charming Karen Hughes. Excerpts from the interview:

What is the most challenging aspect about your job as Under Secretary of State? Could you share your most rewarding moment so far with us?
The biggest challenge is sharing America’s story in a crowded, noisy communications environment. People have so many sources of information these days, from television to blogs to text messages. While that’s good, I worry that the cumulative picture that emerges can be confusing, misleading or just wrong. I’ll never forget a young man in China who had just returned from his first visit to America and was surprised by how friendly and family-oriented Americans are. He said, ‘America is not the way it looks on television.’ I worry that bad news tends to crowd out information about the good things America is doing around the world. Many people don’t realise that America is the number one bilateral donor of food and medicine to the Palestinian people. We are saving millions of lives in Africa through our AIDS and malaria initiatives. And we are funding important educational opportunities for young people across the world.
The most rewarding aspect of my job is the opportunity to meet wonderful, inspiring people around the world. While visiting India, I met many impressive young people and had great meetings with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other leaders. Everyone told me there are two types of people in the world, those who have seen the Taj Mahal and those who haven’t and my life has been enriched by becoming one of the former!

How important an influence has President Bush been in shaping your political views and on your life in general? You have even co-authored his memoir, A Charge to Keep.
We like to joke that I have worked for President Bush since his motorcade consisted of only one car – and he was sometimes driving it! I went to work for him before he was elected Governor of Texas and one of the things I most admire is that he is still fundamentally the same principled, caring person as he was when I first started working for him almost 13 years ago. I remember a reporter once asked him about his political philosophy and he said he was a conservative with a heart – from that we shaped the phrase ‘compassionate conservative,’ which I think describes my philosophy too. Many people forget that President Bush has a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard University. I’ve learned a lot about leadership and management by working for him. He sets concrete goals, bases his decisions on clear principles and empowers those who work for him to act on his behalf. President and Mrs Bush are also very thoughtful about including their employees and families in many special occasions. I can trace my son’s growth through pictures of him at special events with President and Mrs. Bush over the years, from picnics at the Governor’s mansion in Texas to movie nights at the White House and weekends at Camp David – and perhaps most exciting of all for my son at the time, a few flights on Air Force One!

You have been travelling to India to promote more bilateral exchange between Indian and American universities. What are the initiatives you have introduced in this direction so far and what do you have planned for the coming days?
I travelled to India with a special delegation of American government and higher education leaders to communicate that America wants to expand our educational partnerships with India and to explore specific ways to do that. India is already number one in the world in sending students to the United States for higher education – and we want to build on that great tradition for the benefit of the next generation of Indians and Americans. America wants to welcome more young Indian people to study at our colleges and universities and we want more young American people to travel to India to study and learn from you.
Through our Fulbright Programme, Gilman scholarships for undergraduates and the new Language Initiative to promote study of Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali, Urdu and other important world languages, the US Department of State is increasing the number of student exchanges. But we want to do more through private student programmes as well as government-sponsored exchanges. The university presidents who travelled with me took home ideas on ways to expand our partnerships and will be following up on those in the years ahead.

How do you handle criticism in the US to the issue of increasing H1-B visas and the issue of outsourcing?
Both issues are subjects of vigorous debate in America. Many in our business, scientific and technology communities want to expand H1-B visas to bring more skilled workers to America and to their companies, while others are concerned that foreign workers will take employment opportunities away from Americans. Members of Congress have the responsibility of listening to the debate then setting the limits for the number of H1-B visas that can be issued each year. Outsourcing is also a subject of much debate, especially in communities where workers have lost jobs. President Bush believes in free and fair trade and feels it improves overall opportunities for people in other countries and in our own. However, we need to be able to assure Americans that trade is, in fact, a two-way street and that opportunities gained by workers in developing countries through better access to our services markets will be matched by new opportunities for American workers in overseas markets.

You have been described, as ‘the most powerful woman ever to serve in the White House ’. What does power mean to you?
That is a very nice compliment, even though it meant long hours. I view power as an opportunity to make a difference for people. In my current job I try to focus on what I call ‘the diplomacy of deeds’ – the concrete things we are doing around the world to help people have better lives, especially in the important areas of education, health and economic opportunity. I don’t want the fancy titles in Washington to go to my head, so I try to focus on the word ‘serve’ and remind myself that I am working in government to serve the people of my country. A famous American, Dr Martin Luther King Jr, once said that ‘everyone can be great because everyone can serve’. Every individual, no matter what you do at work, has an opportunity to impact other people for the better by helping a neighbour or improving the life of a child.

Is there a code for power dressing for women politicians in Washington D. C.?
The code is pretty straightforward – business suits. Our Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice, wears mostly skirt suits while others, including First Lady Laura Bush and Senator Hillary Clinton, frequently wear both pants suits and skirt suits, almost all women in political office in Washington wear a suit of some type for public appearances. I used to wear a lot of skirt suits, but after the presidential campaign when I had to climb on and off airplanes all day, and with the extensive international travel I do now, I have a lot more pants suits in my closet.

How would you define your personal style? Give us a peek into your formal and casual wardrobe? Do you own any Indian outfits or fabrics?
I’d say my style is conservative with a flair. I’d wear a business suit and add a flower or fabulous shawl. I have several Indian shawls that I love and wear often – a beautiful red and turquoise one that I wear at Christmas time and an elegant blue shawl with deep golden accents. I just bought another one on my trip that I’ve already worn in Washington several times to great compliments! I like clear, bright colours – so I frequently wear a black shell and pants with a colourful jacket. I have a raspberry velvet jacket that’s my favourite in the winter and a bright blue that I wear in spring.
When I’m off work, which is not often, my home town of Austin Texas is very casual. For dinner, I’d wear dressy jeans with a T-shirt and cropped jacket, with a wide belt and my favourite chandelier earrings.

How do you compare the Indian and American political arenas? Do you see any similarities?
Our two countries have a great deal in common. We are both large, diverse democracies – India is the world’s largest and America is the world’s oldest. We share a history of struggle to achieve our independence. We are both melting pots of many different people and cultures and our citizens make extraordinary contributions to the world as a whole. We are committed to many of the same core values – equality under the law, freedom of speech and religion, protection of individual rights and participation in the political process. We share a deep belief in the power and value of education.

Tell me a bit about Karen Hughes the person and the things you like to do apart from work.
Spending time with my husband and children is the thing I love to do most. My son is in college and we like to take him and his friends out to dinner. I enjoy cooking and frequently have parties – we had a Christmas party for my son, his friends and their parents. I’m planning a birthday party for my husband and an end-of-school pool party for my granddaughter right now. My husband and I are very involved with our church and I love to teach Sunday school, especially for toddlers as they are so curious and eager to learn – and they say the most amazing things! I enjoy gardening and one of my favourite past times is planting and tending my flower pots. I also enjoy reading. On summer weekends, my favourite escape is floating on a lounge chair in the pool and reading a book. We have a family dog, a golden retriever named Breeze. My husband and I like to take her for long walks when I’m home in Austin.