New Delhi, Jan 25 (TIWN / IANS) Multiple National Award-winning filmmaker Jahnu Barua, who was one of the six prominent people from the northeast who were Sunday conferred with the Padma awards, believes such recognition was required for the region.

Barua was named for the Padma Bhushan award.

Environment activist Jadav Payeng, also from Assam, along with Lakshmi Nandan Bora, an established name in Assamese literature, Manipur's medicine expert Sarungbam Bimola Kumari Devi, Meghalaya-based musician Neil Herbert Nongkynrih, and social worker H. Thegtse Rinpoche from Arunachal Pradesh were chosen for Padma Shri.

On being honoured along with fellow northeast people, Barua told IANS: "It makes me happy. I feel that such recognition is necessary. A lot of good work is being done and such recognition will do good to the region."

Though he loves making movies in Assamese, he will soon work on his second Hindi film after "Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara" that released in 2005.

"'Har Pal' couldn't see the light of day. I am working on my second Hindi film. The details will be revealed later," said Barua, who has been doing social work in the northeast related to art and culture for the past six years.