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In the historic locality of Hussainabad, located in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, 90-year-old Faiyaz Ali Khan travels to the Art Gallery, a nineteenth-century structure that is a relic of the region's regal history.

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

Wasika, derived from the Farsi word for a written agreement, is a stipend given to the descendants and affiliates of the sovereigns of the previous Awadh state. Awadh, now the heartland of Uttar Pradesh, was ruled by semi-autonomous Muslim leaders - called nawabs - until the British took control in the mid-19th century.

India does not retain a royal system, and ex-royalty lack any honorifics, privileges or unique stipends, known as privy purses. However, while their kingdoms and political power have vanished, some pension arrangements have continued for descendants of these families in regions including UP, the southern state, and the western state.

Roshan Taqui, a scholar of the city, where the area is located, says that in the beginning of the nineteenth century some individuals of the Awadh royal family provided loans to the British enterprise - which was then a British trading enterprise - on the agreement that the interest be distributed as pensions to their families. These advances were perpetual, meaning the Company never had to repay the original sum.

But shortly thereafter, the British gained power in the region while the local rulers became less powerful.

Around that time, Mr Taqui notes, several nawabs were also compelled to provide money to the enterprise, which needed it to wage the conflict in Afghanistan.

Waiting near the gallery, which was built during the rule of ex- Awadh sovereign Mohammad Ali Shah, Faiyaz Ali Khan says he has arrived to receive his stipend after over a year.

"We've been collecting this pension since the era of our ancestors. It's so little 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; £0.08) 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 travel and receive it," states his offspring Shikoh Azad.

Currently, around twelve hundred individuals - known as pension holders - continue to collect these pensions.

However, the distributions are neither fixed nor uniform and decrease with each generation. For instance, if a individual received 100 rupees and had two offspring, the stipend would be reduced by half after their death, leaving each with 50 rupees. As descendants grew over time, the portion of the stipend became even smaller.

The allotment of the pension started in 1817 when the royal consort, the spouse of Awadh's the ruler, gave forty million rupees to the British entity in multiple payments on the condition that her relatives and affiliates receive monthly pensions, according to the historian.

Historical documents show that additional individuals linked to the royal family also provided funds to the firm on similar terms.

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

As per the state's wasika officer SP Tiwari, approximately three million rupees was first deposited in the central bank (previously Calcutta) and subsequently transferred to the industrial city and then Lucknow. Now, the pensions are distributed from the returns generated on approximately 2.6 million rupees deposited in a city bank in the urban area.

The payments are made by dual authorities in the Picture Gallery: the local trust, run by the city's authorities, and the state's pension department. The government now transfers pensions straight to financial accounts, while the foundation pays in cash.

Danish Ansari, the state's official, says the wasika is distributed as per policy and that the tradition "originates from the rulers of the region."

Skeptics contend that these allowances are remnants of feudal privilege and should have no place in the modern era. But advocates see them as symbolic payments linked 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 two separate stipends associated with two loans, a distribution of 4.80 rupees quarterly and a second regular stipend of three rupees and twenty-one paise.

"This wasika cannot be measured in money. It's our identity, invaluable. A select group receive it," he says, noting that he receives it shortly prior to the holy month of Muharram, using it only for spiritual purposes.

"I avoid receiving it annually because if even a single paisa is used for other purposes, I would feel guilty."

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

"It's unfortunate that I expend five hundred rupees on fuel only to collect nine rupees and 70 paise," he remarks.

Experts also highlight that the wasika was originally paid in silver coins that every piece weighed over 11.7 grams (around 11.7 grams).

But when the payments switched to the national money, the worth dropped sharply.

Shahid Ali Khan declares he plans to go to court to seek an update of the sum.

"We'll inquire why wasika is no longer distributed in silver coins anymore. And if not in coin, then at least the amount equivalent to today's silver value should be provided," he states.

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

Another recipient, whose family has been receiving these payments for multiple eras, remembers a period when collecting the pension was a celebratory event, with refreshments and tea being sold on the day.

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