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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 makes his way to the Picture Gallery, a nineteenth-century structure that stands as a reminder of the region's regal history.

His hands tremble as he moves, but there is a sparkle in his eyes. He has arrived to receive his wasika, a payment granted to the offspring and connections of the former Awadh kingdom.

This pension, derived from the Farsi word for a written agreement, is a pension given to the heirs and affiliates of the rulers of the former Awadh state. Awadh, now the heartland of Uttar Pradesh, was governed by partially independent Muslim leaders - called nawabs - until the British East India Company annexed it in 1856.

India no longer has a royal system, and ex-royalty lack any titles, special rights or special payments, called privy purses. However, while their realms and political power have long disappeared, some pension arrangements have persisted for heirs of these lineages in states including UP, the southern state, and the western state.

A historian, a scholar of Lucknow, where the area is situated, says that in the beginning of the nineteenth century some members of the Awadh dynasty lent money to the British enterprise - which was then a British trading enterprise - on the agreement that the interest be distributed as stipends to their relatives. These advances were ongoing, meaning the Company never had to repay the original sum.

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

Around that time, Mr Taqui notes, a number of nawabs were also compelled to provide money to the Company, which needed it to fight the Afghan war.

Waiting near the gallery, which was built during the rule of former Awadh sovereign Mohammad Ali Shah, the elderly recipient states he has arrived to receive his payment after over a year.

"We've been receiving this wasika since the time of our great-grandparents. It's so little that I visit annually to receive it," he said.

The pension amount is meagre, just 9.70 rupees ($0.11; eight pence) a thirty days, but for his family, it is about prestige - their final connection to a once-rich past.

"Even if we get just one paisa, we'll spend a thousand rupees to travel and receive it," states his son the younger generation.

Today, approximately twelve hundred individuals - called wasikedars - still receive these stipends.

However, the distributions are neither fixed nor uniform and diminish with every successive heir. For example, if a individual got 100 rupees and had two children, the pension would be reduced by half after their death, giving each 50 rupees. As descendants grew over the years, the share of pensions became even smaller.

The distribution of wasika began in the early nineteenth century when Bahu Begum, the wife of Awadh's Nawab Shuja-ud-Daula, gave 40m rupees to the East India Company in two instalments on the stipulation that her relatives and affiliates receive regular stipends, according to the historian.

Official records show that other people associated with the royal family also provided funds to the firm on similar terms.

After India gained independence in the mid-twentieth century, part of the funds loaned by Bahu Begum was placed in a financial institution.

According to the state's wasika officer the officer, approximately three million rupees was initially placed in the central bank (previously Calcutta) and subsequently transferred to Kanpur and then Lucknow. Now, the pensions are distributed from the interest earned on approximately 2.6 million rupees held in a local bank in the urban area.

The payments are handled by two offices in the Picture Gallery: the local trust, run by Lucknow's district administration, and the state's pension department. The government now sends stipends straight to bank accounts, while the foundation pays in cash.

The minister, Uttar Pradesh's official, says the wasika is distributed as per regulation and that the practice "originates from the rulers of the region."

Skeptics contend that these allowances are remnants of aristocratic entitlement and should have no place in the modern era. But supporters see them as symbolic payments tied to historical promises that cannot be easily brushed aside.

Another beneficiary, a legal professional who is also a beneficiary of the stipend, points to his own heritage. His grandfather was a minister to Nawab Mohammad Ali Shah.

Today, he receives two separate stipends associated with dual advances, one payment of 4.80 rupees quarterly and another monthly payment of 3.21 rupees.

"This pension should not be valued in currency. It's our heritage, worth more than millions. A select group obtain it," he explains, adding that he collects it just before the holy month of Muharram, allocating it solely to spiritual purposes.

"I avoid receiving it annually because if even a single paisa is spent elsewhere, I would have regrets."

Many recipients assert 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 son comments that they have made repeated appeals for the amount to be increased, but without success.

"It's regrettable that I spend 500 rupees on fuel just to receive 9.70 rupees," he says.

Experts also point out that the wasika was initially distributed in silver coins that each weighed over 11.7 grams (around 11.7g).

But when the distributions changed to Indian currency, the value declined significantly.

Shahid Ali Khan declares he intends to file a case to seek an update of the sum.

"We'll inquire why wasika isn't paid in silver coins anymore. And if not in silver, then at least the sum corresponding to today's silver value should be paid," he says.

It is not only the monetary value of the wasika that has faded, but also the grandeur surrounding it.

Masood Abdullah, whose lineage has been obtaining these stipends for multiple eras, recalls a period when receiving the stipend was a celebratory event, with sherbets and tea being available on the occasion.

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