Boys' Home in Ahmednagar

What’s the hidden message inside this intriguing film, shot at a Salvation Army establishment in western India?

This intriguing film seems to have a hidden message for us. It was apparently filmed in the grounds of a Salvation Army establishment in Ahmednagar, in Maharashtra, western India (the date is estimated and may be later than 1905). Groups of boys, clapping their hands in rhythmic unison, are arranged to make up various letters of an alphabet – clearly an ‘M’ at the start but some of the letters are less distinct. What do they spell?