It's Mission Tom Cruise in this Andhra school

Students at the government school in Bendapudi village have been learning to speak English the American way, like the Mission Impossible star. They've become internet celebrities on the way

- Umamaheswara Rao

In her starched purple uniform, oiled hair tied up in pigtails with purple ribbons, Meghna looks like any other government schoolgirl in Andhra Pradesh's Kakinada district. But the moment she says, "Hi, guys," into the camera to test her English, you wonder if she's from Boston, not Bendapudi.

It's a transformation trolls have jeered, only to be shut down by wider appreciation and cheers from all over the world.

"This is Meghna, student of 10th class from ZPHS (Zilla Parishad High School), Bendapudi," continues Meghna without a trace of her Indianised Queen's English. You catch a strong American twang instead. "Now we are able to witness a prestigious programme that has been launched here."

They Were Just Mike-Testing

Bendapudi is a village near the temple town of Annavaram in Kakinada district. Until recently, children at the local government high school were taught only in Telugu. So, how did they become famous for their American accent?

It happened quite by chance. Their English teacher Ganta Veera Prasad wanted to test his new digital microphone. He made a few recordings that found their way online through the school group, and went viral.