Both are not only possible but require a degree of skill and insensitivity. It also requires suspension of disbelief and a momentary detachment from reality. The applause however reluctant does follow. Sometime in jest , sometime in awe at the madness of it all. And as the numbers 1.2 billion Indian head count grow by the second as it were the mistakes we make while speaking English have all but convinced the masses that others speak it wrongly. Take the hissing "S" and how it gets stretched or shortened or twisted beyond recognition. Even a conversion to "sh"  is fraught with the potential to generate many a suppressed smile , on the verge of discreet laughter, that we feign "rhino-skin syndrome" and plough ahead manfully. Ignorance sure is bliss. Then the rope trick starts with a suggestion to mimic the Indian equivalent of 'S' ...the Sa sound and then a temporary halt in the 'SIr' sound ...and the caravan moves into the SH and St and any other blends you can think of before bringing the house down with an Indianism like "let me explain you" which is guarenteed to leave everyone tongue-tied and mesmerized. More on this next week as I must urgently ta-akk with my "cousin brother" Keep talking till then !

Its pretty easy to sound nice. Say it right. Smile and let imagination take flight. Try "looking" at all C /Ca/Cha as a K as in 'Kay'
and visualize this 'kay' elemnt when you say "katchit" or "karacter".  Its a process of visualization and that can impact intonation and add meaning to what yo say. There are some other tips like knowing when to pronounce 'x' as an {egg} and when to keep the 'x'  as a simple 'x'. Check out if 'x' is followed by a vowel and change the 'x-factor' into an egg. For example is a good "eggzample" and the experience is called expertise. When you mess it up then its called free entertainment ! If all this didn't make an impact "purse" your lips together, hold it tight for a microsecond and blow out the letter "explosive P" as in powerful, playful, payment , performance and perfect. If you like complications form the letter 'm' hum a little"imm" and gain immortality ! Example: Many, More, [A]mericans, love Mom's Indian Curry. The letter  M is like preformed concrete. Think of it, close your lips, it gets sealed and exits nasally to form "more sense" I recommend you try it. Its not rocket science or yoga. Plain common sense can make you sound better. English is a language of many variations and the thrill is in the 'kill'. Figure that one out and feel liberated.

Accent is an ID Card of a group of people from a common geographical area. The nuances of the area reflect in the sound and from that the speaker is identified as a South Indian or North Indian or for that matter an American. So the best way to approach an Accent Training Program would be to focus on The Origin, Position and Shape of the 26 alphabets at the time of delivery. Once you get this right you are on the way to speaking English like a true native speaker. I would consider some effort to learn the 44 phonemes could make the transition simple. The role of coach and mentor becomes all important in the context of individual mistakes arising out of similar sounds found in the speakers mother tongue. The fancy and much maligned MTI surfaces and little or no details are available as to how this can be neutralized. More on this language journey soon. BeeJay -Founder and Chief Trainer BeeJay's English Academy