Bhuchar Family Celebrates School Naming with Friends at Alings
Dr. Subodh Bhuchar (front, far right) with school and FBISD officials, friends and wellwishers during the naming ceremony in October.
By Pramod Kulkarni
SUGAR LAND: The Bhuchar family paid tribute to the memory of Sonal Bhuchar and celebrated the naming of a new school in FBISD in her honor with an evening reception at Alings restaurant on Thursday, October 26. The dedication of the new school as Sonal Bhuchar Elementary had taken place earlier on Sunday, October 15.
The Bhuchar Elementary School is located at 5503 Thompson Ferry Road in Missouri City, Texas 77459. The school mascot is the Royal Bengal tiger. Above the foyer at the school is displayed Sonal Bhuchar’s portrait and a quote from Mahatma Gandhi, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
Sonal Bhuchar, a former FBISD trustee, was a tireless servant with a long history of community leadership. She served as the FBISD Board President for two years
Sonal Bhuchar’s life exemplified Gandhi’s quote about service. According to the FBISD statement, “Sonal Bhuhar was a trailblazer in Fort Bend County and a leader in the field of education. After her long association with the Fort Bend Education Foundation, Bhuchar was elected to the FBISD Board of Trustees for six years and served as the Board President for two years.
Bhuchar was appointed to the One Star National Service Commission Board by Governor Greg Abbott in 2015. Up until her passing, she was actively involved as a board member with the Child Advocates of Fort Bend and Parks, Art, Recreation, Culture, and Streetscapes (PARCS). She was a board member for the Literacy Council of Fort Bend, ACCESS Health, Sugar Land Cultural Arts Foundation, Sugar Land Heritage, the Indo-American Charity Foundation and the Texas Medical Association Alliance.
During her tenure with the District, Bhuchar spearheaded many efforts including chairing the WATCH program (a healthy lifestyle education program for elementary school students), developing the concept for the Fort Bend Education Foundation’s annual International Festival to promote diversity, equity and inclusion within the District, the Student Leadership Program and the Legislative Advocacy Program.
Sonal’s husband, Dr. Subodh Bhuchar (center), with FBISD and Sonal Bhuchar school officials.
“It has been a long journey for the campaign to name the school after Sonal,”said Dr. Bhuchar. “Now her legacy will stay on forever and young kids will learn about her work.” A number of Sonal’s friends, colleagues and wellwishers recalled their association, including Jim Rice, Shefali Jhaveri, Chad Patel, and Binal Kancherla.
Even Alings owner Gary Aling talked about how Sonal used to visit him to learn how to prepare dishes that her family particularly enjoyed at Alings.
Dr. Bhuchar (center, kneeling) with one of several groups of friends and wellwishers who attended the reception at Alings restaurant.
The evening reception took place at Alings patio.