PV Sindhu, India's ace shuttler, on Monday reacted to the organisers arranging three men to make ‘langur calls’ at the upcoming BWF World Championships. The Badminton Association of India (BAI) has taken this call to stop macaque intruders. According to Sportstar, three men trained to mimic langur calls have been brought in as part of security and venue preparations, with organisers hoping their unusual skills will deter another unwanted visitor from disrupting the tournament.
The measure was taken after a rhesus macaque made an unexpected appearance during the India Open earlier this year, leading to widespread criticism of the BAI. The animal was spotted moving through areas of the Indira Gandhi Stadium complex, including the spectator section and practice hall at the KD Jadhav Indoor Stadium.
Now, with the BWF World Championships set to bring some of the biggest names in badminton to the same complex, organisers are taking precautions to avoid a repeat. On Monday evening, Sindhu reacted to the development, saying one might laugh at the solution, but the “effort” is commendable.
She also added that the solution might be “uniquely Indian”, but so is the country's warmth and spirit. She concluded her post by saying that she cannot wait for the national capital to host the major tournament.
The reasoning behind the plan is rooted in the natural behaviour of the two species. Rhesus macaques are known to be wary of langurs, which are significantly larger. Hearing the characteristic calls of a langur can therefore prompt macaques to retreat from the area.
“Monkeys are very afraid of langurs, which are much bigger than them, so when we make these sounds, monkeys usually flee,” Zafar, one of the three men employed for the job, told Sportstar.
“We have worked in the South and North Blocks in New Delhi and Gurgaon previously. It is very effective,” he added.
The World Championships in Delhi are expected to draw large crowds to the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. The tournament will run from August 17 to 23.
Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.Read More
