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In Hussainabad, located in the northern Indian state of UP, 90-year-old Faiyaz Ali Khan journeys to the Picture Gallery, a 19th Century structure that stands as a reminder of the region's regal history.

His fingers shake as he moves, but there is a sparkle in his eyes. He has arrived to receive his wasika, a allowance provided to the descendants and connections of the former Awadh kingdom.

This pension, derived from the Farsi word for a formal contract, is a stipend awarded to the descendants and associates of the sovereigns of the former Awadh kingdom. Awadh, now the heartland of Uttar Pradesh, was governed by partially independent Muslim leaders - known as nawabs - until the British annexed it in the mid-19th century.

India does not retain a royal system, and former royals do not have any honorifics, special rights or unique stipends, known as privy purses. However, while their kingdoms and authority have vanished, some pension arrangements have persisted for descendants of these lineages in regions including Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, and Rajasthan.

Roshan Taqui, a historian of the city, where Hussainabad is situated, says that in the early 1800s some individuals of the Awadh royal family lent money to the British enterprise - which was then a commercial entity - on the agreement that the interest be paid out as stipends to their relatives. These advances were perpetual, meaning the firm never had to repay the original sum.

But shortly thereafter, the British gained power in the area while the nawabs became less powerful.

During that period, the historian says, a number of rulers were also forced to lend money to the Company, which required it to fight the Afghan war.

Waiting near the Picture Gallery, which was constructed during the reign of former Awadh ruler Mohammad Ali Shah, the elderly recipient states he has come to collect his payment after 13 months.

"We've been collecting this pension since the time of our great-grandparents. It's so little that I only come once a year to collect it," he said.

The pension amount is meagre, just 9.70 rupees (eleven cents; £0.08) a month, but for his family, it is about prestige - their last living link to a once-rich past.

"Even if we get just one paisa, we'll pay a significant amount to travel and receive it," says his son Shikoh Azad.

Currently, around 1,200 individuals - known as wasikedars - continue to collect these pensions.

However, the payouts are variable and inconsistent and diminish with every successive heir. For example, if a individual got a hundred rupees and had two offspring, the pension would be reduced by half after their death, giving each 50 rupees. As descendants multiplied over time, the portion of the stipend became even smaller.

The allotment of wasika started in 1817 when the royal consort, the wife of Awadh's the ruler, gave forty million rupees to the East India Company in multiple payments on the stipulation that her kin and affiliates receive monthly pensions, according to the historian.

Historical documents indicate that additional individuals associated with the royal family also gave loans to the Company on comparable conditions.

After India became independent in the mid-twentieth century, a portion of the money loaned by the begum was deposited in a financial institution.

According to Uttar Pradesh's pension official SP Tiwari, about three million rupees was initially placed in the central bank (formerly Calcutta) and subsequently transferred to Kanpur and then the capital. Now, the pensions are distributed from the returns generated on approximately 2.6m rupees held in a local bank in the city.

The distributions are made by dual authorities in the gallery: the Hussainabad Trust, managed by Lucknow's district administration, and the Uttar Pradesh government's wasika office. The authorities now sends stipends directly into financial accounts, while the Trust distributes physical currency.

The minister, the state's official, says the wasika is given out as per policy and that the tradition "dates back to the rulers of the region."

Skeptics contend that these stipends are vestiges of aristocratic entitlement and should have no role in the modern era. But advocates view them as honorary compensations tied to past agreements that cannot be easily brushed aside.

Another beneficiary, a legal professional who is also a beneficiary of the stipend, points to his own family's legacy. His ancestor was a official to the ruler.

Today, he gets distinct royal pensions associated with two loans, a distribution of four rupees and eighty paise every three months and a second monthly payment of 3.21 rupees.

"This wasika should not be valued in money. It's our identity, invaluable. Only a few people receive it," he says, noting that he receives it shortly prior to the holy month of Muharram, using it only for spiritual purposes.

"I don't collect it annually because if even a single paisa is spent elsewhere, I would have regrets."

Numerous beneficiaries argue that the stipends should be increased in line with current interest rates.

"We've been receiving wasika at a 4% interest rate since the Nawabs' time, while current financial yields are significantly greater," the elder states.

His offspring comments that they have petitioned multiple times for the amount to be increased, but without success.

"It's unfortunate that I spend 500 rupees on fuel just to collect nine rupees and 70 paise," he remarks.

Scholars also highlight that the stipend was originally paid in precious metal currency that every piece weighed more than a tola (around 11.7 grams).

But when the payments changed to the national money, the value dropped sharply.

Shahid Ali Khan declares he intends to file a case to demand a revision of the amount.

"We'll inquire why the stipend is no longer distributed in precious metal anymore. And if not in silver, then at least the sum corresponding to today's silver value should be provided," he states.

It is not just the financial worth of the wasika that has diminished, but also the splendor surrounding it.

Masood Abdullah, whose family has been obtaining these stipends for multiple eras, remembers a time when collecting the pension was a celebratory event, with sherbets and tea being sold on the day.

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