I have no idea if this is true, or somebody playing a practical joke.

And honestly, I think even asking about this is risky - I can imagine me countering accusations of racism for a year.

But bear with me...

I have colleagues in India. Absolutely lovely guys. However, they have, to my ears, very thick accents. And they struggle with my standard Mancunian accent.

Skype calls are often a challenge.

Somebody I know - a white guy - gave me some advice he SWEARS an Indian pal told him.

The advice is: when speaking with an Indian person, adopt an Indian accent, and you become more comprehensible to them.

And they put on their best English accent, which makes it easier for me

My mate absolutely swears this is a real thing. But ...

There is no way on God's shiny clean earth I'm putting on a fake Indian accent. I don't really care if "it works", it instinctively feels so, so wrong.

Has anyone else heard this theory, or can I tell my mate it's bollocks?