{Typesetting Bangla in Unicode-aware \TeX\ engines \Dash from user~experiences to development insights} {Qutub Sajib} {Typesetting Bangla (also known as Bengali) script in \TeX\ was first introduced more than 15 years ago from now through a transliteration system. The system would require the user to input Bangla texts with fonts from Roman script in a specific \ASCII\ transliteration scheme and then process the input to display the texts using its own \MF-generated Bangla fonts. The transliteration-based system falls short in terms of, among others, its harder-to-read source file and its requirement of one particular Bangla typeface family. With the introduction of Unicode-aware \TeX\ engines, \XeTeX\ for example, and the emergence of Unicode-compliant free Bangla fonts, new possibilities have evolved. Today both \XeTeX\ and Lua\TeX\ support Bangla typesetting allowing the user to input texts directly with Unicode Bangla fonts in the editor; thus making the source file easy-to-read and eliminating the need for transliteration schemes. Although several years have passed since the \XeTeX\ system was first seen to support Bangla typesetting, it is still in a state where the \emph{finest} typographic quality is nearly unachievable for this particular script. In this presentation I will discuss some of the present-day situations of typesetting Bangla using \XeTeX\ and Lua\TeX\ systems, and share some challenges that one has to face when preparing manuscripts for academic and professional publishing. I will conclude with some development ideas that can be explored in future with a purpose for ensuring the \emph{finest} typesetting of Bangla script in \TeX.}