Delhi and Gurugram may just be a few minutes away from each other, but the two cities are worlds apart, says Shikha Puri, who moved to Gurugram in 2006 after her marriage. Having built a career in advertising until that point, Puri says the shift to Gurugram was seismic—facilitating her shift into an entrepreneur.
Currently a resident of DLF Phase 3, Puri says that motherhood prompted her to take a professional pause 2009. She resumed her career a year later, but burgeoning family responsibilities exacerbated taxing work demands. From this grew, step by step, her move towards becoming a tea entrepreneur, which she says allowed her to blend her passion with wellness for a successful entrepreneurial enterprise.
She credited a visit to her husband’s ancestral home in Darjeeling for her inspiration—generations of their family had been involved in the tea industry, which she wanted to bring to a contemporary audience. Mentored by her father-in-law, a veteran planter, and her husband, an experienced taster, she came up with “TeaCupsFull”, a new venture in 2015.
Using her advertising background to shape the brand’s narrative, she placed emphasis on an authentic experience, with minimal marketing and strong storytelling. Over the past decade, her brand has garnered widespread recognition, curating and supplying tea to luxury hotels, cafés and wellness enthusiasts across the country. An experience store in DLF Phase 1’s Qutub Plaza has become a community hub where customers can taste, learn, and engage with India’s tea heritage.
Those acquainted with Puri call her a “quiet visionary”, but she herself credits her success to Gurugram’s “fast-moving, experimental and deeply rooted in reinvention” spirit. She says Gurugram embraced her as an outsider and gave her the space to rediscover herself.
For many entrepreneurs, Gurugram is a launchpad. But for Puri, it became something more: a place that took her from advertising boardrooms to nature and plantations.
In a city known for its corporate hustle, Puri found calm in a cup, blending chaos and opportunity to find purpose, she says.
Puri says, “Looking back, I feel Gurugram truly shaped my entrepreneurial journey. It offered an ecosystem where dreams could thrive — from infrastructure to the right customer base and a network of like-minded professionals.”
“Yes, the journey had challenges — in the early days, limited public transport made commuting tough — but today, the city’s transformation is remarkable. Gurugram has everything: professional opportunities, great schools, a vibrant social scene, and endless inspiration,” she said.
Although far from perfect, she said of the city, “Of course, I wish the pollution and traffic were better managed; but, the city’s energy, ambition, and spirit are unmatched. Gurugram didn’t just give me a home; it facilitated my dream.”
(Shikha Puri is a DLF Phase 3 resident )