Badma was born in 1948 in Frunze (today Bishkek), Kyrgyz SSR. He has an older sister, Galina. They had loving parents – a Kalmyk father and a Russian mother. Badma recalls that in his childhood all of his neighbours got along well and always helped one another out. The Kalmyks in Kyrgyz SSR spoke their native language and celebrated holidays together. Among other childhood memories, Badma also recalls that his father always kept a copy of the Kalmyk heroic epos Jangar. During the deportation of the Kalmyk nation (1943-1957), his father, Morkhadzhi Bambaevich Narmaev, wrote a letter to Stalin, as did many Kalmyks. At some point his father even travelled to Moscow to meet with general Voroshilov. After the Kalmyks were pardoned, Badma's family returned to Kalmykia in 1957. In Kalmykia, many returnees continued to speak Kalmyk. It was a happy and inspirational period – the economy was growing rapidly and public education improving. Badma's father worked as director of an experimental cattle farm working on the revival of Kalmyk breeds of livestock, and his mother found a job as a pharmacist in Elista. Later his father defended his doctorate degree in agriculture and was appointed director of the Kalmyk Institute for Livestock Breeding. Also a poet and writer, Morkhadzhi Bambaevich Narmaev spent his free time writing. One of his well-known novels, The Manych River, contains rich information about Kalmyk folklore, culture and history of the early 20th century. Badma was also interested in Kalmyk culture from early childhood. He studied at the Oriental Faculty of Leningrad University specializing in Tibetan philology. Badma's father was very supportive of his son's choice of subject. Today Badma works as a lecturer at Saint Petersburg University. One of the projects that he has been working on for some time is a rare Tibetan version of the Mongolian epos Geser. Badma also talks about Buddhism, Kalmyk lamas, and about Buryat lama Agvan Dorzhiev who supported Buddhism in Kalmykia.