Soundings on South Asia is an attempt to provide a compendium of the region's development. The book highlights the various issues, which are generally being debated in the region. The focus is first on individual countries and then on larger South Asian context to help understand the broader dynamics at play in the region. Since most of the issues are still relevant, by putting them in the proper perspective, the book provides a panoramic view of the developing themes in the region.
South Asia's inability to forge a regional identity is challenged by theories which argue that the differences between countries are not as large as they seem. The book begins with the hypothesis: can South Asia ever become the United States of South Asia (USSA) and answers that the task is difficult, but not impossible. The author discusses the reasons that are responsible for coming in the way of regional integration and formation of South Asian identity.
The core argument remains that salvation of the region lies in mitigating the subcontinental differences and sewing a pan-South-Asian identity. Soundings on South Asia is a collection of over seventy articles on near contemporary themes. It's a layman's manual to understand the region in its totality. The book contains fifteen chapters including "Soundings" and "Resounding" as the first and last chapters.