Bangtex : A package for typesetting documents in Bangla using the Tex/Latex systems

Sample output

Downloading and installation

1. Download the following files and keep them in any directory. I suggest that you create a separate directory for this purpose so as not to erase any files with the same names that might exist in your existing directories. Windows users might choose to keep them on the Desktop.
   • bfonts.tar.gz
   • bsty.tar.gz
   • bsample.tar.gz

2. I recommend that you read through the end of this page before performing the installation. In particular, read carefully through the section on "Supporting software". You might want to download some of them as well. Near the bottom of this page, you will find directions for the installation procedure.

3. At the end of the installation procedure, you will find how to print out a copy of the manual for typesetting in Bangla.

Supporting software

1. The bpsf package, created by Ananda Kumar Samaddar. These are postscript fonts for bangtex. If you want to get a feel for what it does, see the postscript files created from the same latex file, with (ps / pdf) and without (ps / pdf) using these fonts. If you are convinced of the merits of using the postscript fonts after seeing these samples, download the file
   • bpsf.tar.gz
   Keep it in the directory where you have kept the earlier files.
2. The program seicor, created by Somendra Mohan Bhattacharjee. This is a unix/linux shell program which allows you to write the input file with much less effort. If you have used bangtex before, you will appreciate the advantage of using this file by looking at the instruction page for seicor. This is a pdf file.

   If you have never used bangtex before, probably it is difficult to explain the advantage gained by using seicor. Roughly speaking, it makes typing of Bangla text faster and easier. In Bangla, some of the vowel signs go to the left of the associated consonant. For example, if you want to write "pen", the order of the characters appearing in Bangla type is "epn". But if you type it in the latter form, it is hard to recognize the word as "pen" on the screen. Normal bangtex provides a solution whereby you can typeset it as "\*p*en". If you use seicor, you can typeset this word as "pen" in your input tex file, run seicor on it, and the output contains "\*p*en". Then you run LaTeX on the resulting file.

   It is recommended that you download seicor:

   • seicor program
   • seicor instructions
   Keep it in the directory where you have kept the earlier files.
3. The program mkbangtex, created by Koushik Ray. It is also a preprocessor for bangtex. In other words, writing bangla would be much simpler if you use this program. You create a file using mkbangtex rules (which are simpler than usual bangtex), run mkbangtex on the file, and your output is a bangtex file with the usual bangtex symbols and syntax.

   Like in seicor, you will not need to use the bangtex \* commands for i-kar, e-kar etc. In addition, you do not have to use many of the capitalizations which are needed in bangtex. For example, "ataeb", after running mkbangtex, turns to "AtoEb", which is usual bangtex.

   To learn more about the program and to download it, click here.

4. Abhijit Dasgupta has developed a nice front-end for bangtex which will enable one to type directly in Bangla, using any Unicode text-editor and font. Of course, the TeX/LateX commands will have to use ASCII characters, but whenever you want to type Bangla text, you can directly see it on the screen, without any processing of the file. The details can be found by clicking here.

Updating information

1. Bangtex now comes with postscript fonts. These fonts have been created by Ananda Kumar Samaddar. All the credits should go to him, and I thank him for allowing me to include these fonts in the main bangtex distribution. Any question, comment and appreciation on these fonts should be sent to him directly by clicking on his name above.

August 2003 update

1. A new set of fonts introduced. These are hollow fonts, or outline fonts, i.e., the output will contain only the outline of a charater. The inside will be hollow.
2. Some shortcuts introduced in typesetting. For example, NG/g can now also be typeset simply as n/g. Similarly, NG/k as n/k, NJ/c as n/c, NJ/j as n/j etc. The manual gives details.

December 2005 update

1. The program seicor introduced. It has been created by Somendra Mohan Bhattacharjee. All the credits should go to him, and I thank him for allowing me to include this program in the main bangtex distribution. Any question, comment and appreciation on the program should be sent to him directly by clicking on his name above.

April 2008 update

• The program mkbangtex linked. It has been created by Koushik Ray some time ago, and he deserves all credits for it. Any question, comment and appreciation on the program should be sent to him directly by clicking on his name above.

July 2009 update

• The file banglig.mf changed so that the conjunct j+jh can be obtained by typing j/jh. If you already have bangtex installed on your computer and want only to change banglig.mf with its new version, click here. Save the file in the same location where you had a file with the same name. Then you need to erase all files of type bang*tfm and bang*pk in order the changes can take effect. The tfm and pk files will be automatically recreated by your computer when you will use bangtex next time.

October 2010 update

• Link made to an unicode editor for bangtex. It has been created by Abhijit Dasgupta, and he deserves all credits for it. Any question, comment and appreciation on the program should be sent to him directly by clicking on his name above.

bangtex group on the internet