Poddar was born in Calcutta in 1955 and studied at Calcutta Art College from 1972 (focus: painting, design and photography). After graduating in 1977, he received a scholarship to the International Animation Institute in Tokyo, where he studied photography and film animation between 1980 and 1982. The Bombay Art Society awarded him for his excellent black and white color images in 2000. The Indian government honored Poddar for his outstanding work in the visual arts.