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In the historic locality of Hussainabad, located in the northern Indian state of UP, 90-year-old Faiyaz Ali Khan journeys to the Art Gallery, a nineteenth-century building that is a relic of the city's royal past.

His fingers shake as he moves, but there is a gleam in his eyes. He has come to collect his wasika, a payment granted to the descendants and connections of the former Awadh kingdom.

This pension, derived from the Farsi word for a formal contract, is a stipend given to the heirs and affiliates of the rulers of the previous Awadh state. Awadh, now the heartland of Uttar Pradesh, was ruled by partially independent Muslim rulers - known as nawabs - until the British took control in 1856.

India no longer has a royal system, and former royals do not have any titles, privileges or special payments, called privy purses. However, while their kingdoms and political power have vanished, some stipend systems have continued for heirs of these families in regions including Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, and the western state.

A historian, a historian of the city, where the area is situated, explains that in the early 1800s some individuals of the Awadh royal family lent money to the East India Company - which was then a British trading enterprise - on the agreement that the earnings be paid out as stipends to their families. These advances were perpetual, meaning the firm never had to return the principal amount.

But soon, the colonial power acquired control in the region while the nawabs became weaker.

Around that time, Mr Taqui says, several nawabs were also forced to lend money to the Company, which required it to fight the conflict in Afghanistan.

Waiting near the gallery, which was constructed during the rule of former Awadh sovereign Mohammad Ali Shah, Faiyaz Ali Khan says he has arrived to receive his payment after 13 months.

"We've been receiving this wasika since the time of our great-grandparents. It's such a small amount that I only come once a year to receive it," he said.

The stipend sum is meagre, only nine rupees and 70 paise ($0.11; eight pence) a month, but for his household, it is about honour - their last living link to a formerly wealthy heritage.

"Even if we receive a single paisa, we'll spend a thousand rupees to come and collect it," states his son Shikoh Azad.

Today, around 1,200 people - called wasikedars - still receive these pensions.

However, the payouts are variable and inconsistent and diminish with each generation. For instance, if a person got a hundred rupees and had two children, the pension would be halved after their death, giving each 50 rupees. As descendants multiplied over the years, the portion of the stipend became even smaller.

The allotment of wasika started in 1817 when Bahu Begum, the spouse of Awadh's the ruler, gave forty million rupees to the British entity in two instalments on the stipulation that her kin and affiliates obtain monthly pensions, according to the historian.

Historical documents indicate that additional individuals associated with the royal family also provided funds to the firm on similar terms.

After India became independent in 1947, a portion of the funds loaned by the begum was placed in a financial institution.

According to the state's wasika officer the officer, about three million rupees was initially placed in the central bank (formerly Calcutta) and subsequently transferred to the industrial city and then Lucknow. Now, the stipends are distributed from the returns generated on approximately 2.6m rupees held in a local bank in the urban area.

The distributions are handled by dual authorities in the gallery: the Hussainabad Trust, run by Lucknow's district administration, and the state's pension department. The government now sends stipends directly into bank accounts, while the Trust pays in cash.

Danish Ansari, the state's official, states the pension is distributed as per regulation and that the practice "originates from the Nawabs of Awadh."

Critics argue that these allowances are vestiges of feudal privilege and should have no place today. But advocates view them as honorary compensations tied to historical promises that should not be disregarded.

Shahid Ali Khan, a legal professional who is also a beneficiary of the royal pension, references his own family's legacy. His grandfather was a official to Nawab Mohammad Ali Shah.

Today, he gets distinct stipends associated with dual advances, one payment of four rupees and eighty paise every three months and a second monthly payment of 3.21 rupees.

"This wasika cannot be measured in money. It's our heritage, worth more than millions. Only a few people receive it," he says, adding that he collects it just before the holy month of Muharram, allocating it solely to religious expenses.

"I don't collect it annually because if even a single paisa is used for other purposes, I would have regrets."

Many recipients assert that the pensions should be increased in line with modern financial returns.

"We've been receiving wasika at a 4% interest rate since the era of the rulers, while today's bank interest rates are significantly greater," Faiyaz Ali Khan says.

His offspring adds that they have petitioned multiple times for the sum to be increased, but in vain.

"It's regrettable that I expend five hundred rupees on petrol only to receive 9.70 rupees," he remarks.

Scholars also point out that the wasika was originally paid in silver coins that each weighed over 11.7 grams (approximately 11.7 grams).

But when the payments switched to the national money, the value declined significantly.

The lawyer says he plans to go to court to demand a revision of the amount.

"We'll inquire why wasika isn't paid in silver coins now. And if not in silver, then at least the amount equivalent to current metal prices should be paid," he says.

It is not just the financial worth of the pension that has diminished, but also the splendor associated with it.

Masood Abdullah, whose family has been obtaining these stipends for generations, remembers a time when collecting the pension felt like a festival, with sherbets and beverages being available on the occasion.

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