WHY NOT SRI LANKA? සිංහල

The mechanism, from the book

Eight World Heritage Sites and 2,300 years of records, and the country's story is told to the world by other people.

Every idea in cluster 19 uses this mechanism.

A first step

Borrow a copy stand and a good camera, and offer a temple or a family that keeps a palm-leaf manuscript to photograph it free and give them a digital copy. Use that sample to write to the librarians of three university libraries abroad with South Asian collections, stating a price per leaf digitised and catalogued. A reply asking for terms is your proof.

Who pays first
A university library abroad that wants primary sources on South Asian history and would pay for high-quality images with a catalogue.
What leaves today
The records sit on the island but are studied abroad, if at all; a paid digitisation service earns from them and keeps the originals at home.

The idea and the mechanism are from the book. The first step was written for this site as a suggestion; if you know a better one, say so.

The Starter Kit, printableOne click, no form, no name.

The test

Does it keep value that now leaves the island, or build the proof that lets somebody else do so?

The only test any idea on this site has to pass. The four rules that go with it are here.

In the book

  • Ch. FiveThe Most Photographed Rock in the World
    Galle Fort, Venice and what heritage funnels do
  • Ch. ThreeWhat We Have Already Built
    Geoffrey Bawa's tropical modernism and the Aman resorts

More from cluster 19

All 15 ideas in this cluster

WITH500BUSINESS IDEASTO STARTTOMORROW

Idea 384 of the 500 in the appendix of Why Not Sri Lanka? Every one can be started by one person, one family or one small firm.

Previous, 383A museum shop worthy of the museum, at the National Museum, at...Next, 385Architecture tours of Bawa's buildings with the houses opened by...