A trained martial artiste in Kalaripayattu, under the guidance of Guru Shri Satyen from CVN Kalari, Trivandrum, and learning Nadana Bhushanam from Swathi Thirunal College of Music, he is a Bharatnatyam exponent trained under Guru Smt Maheshwari Nagarajana from Nritya Kala Kendra, Ahmedabad. For close to three decades now, D Padmakumar has performed extensively in countries including Australia, China, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Kirgizstan, Scotland, Singapore, Taiwan, among many others, a process that only bettered his art of observation, exploration and performance. With most of his years spent in the culturally rich Gujarat, Pappan believes home is where his heart, and art, is.