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In the historic locality of Hussainabad, located in the north Indian state of UP, 90-year-old Faiyaz Ali Khan journeys to the Picture Gallery, a nineteenth-century building 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 stipend, a allowance granted to the offspring and associates of the former Awadh kingdom.

Wasika, originating from the Farsi word for a formal contract, is a pension given to the heirs and affiliates of the rulers of the previous Awadh kingdom. Awadh, now the central region of Uttar Pradesh, was ruled by semi-autonomous Muslim rulers - known as nawabs - until the British East India Company annexed it in the mid-19th century.

India no longer has a monarchy, and former royals lack any honorifics, special rights or unique stipends, known as privy purses. However, while their realms and political power have long disappeared, some stipend systems have persisted for heirs of these lineages in states including UP, Kerala, and Rajasthan.

Roshan Taqui, a scholar of the city, where the area is located, explains that in the beginning of the nineteenth century some individuals of the Awadh dynasty provided loans to the East India Company - which was then a commercial entity - on condition that the earnings be distributed as stipends to their families. These advances were perpetual, meaning the firm never had to repay the original sum.

But soon, the colonial power acquired control in the area while the local rulers became weaker.

Around that time, the historian says, several nawabs were also forced to lend funds to the Company, which needed it to fight the Afghan war.

Standing outside the Picture Gallery, which was constructed during the rule of former Awadh ruler Mohammad Ali Shah, Faiyaz Ali Khan says he has come to collect his payment after 13 months.

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

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

"Even if we receive a single paisa, we'll pay a significant amount to come and collect it," says his son Shikoh Azad.

Today, approximately 1,200 individuals - called wasikedars - continue to collect these stipends.

However, the distributions are variable and inconsistent and diminish with every successive heir. For example, if a individual got a hundred rupees and had two children, the stipend would be halved after their passing, giving each 50 rupees. As descendants grew over the years, the share of pensions became more diminished.

The distribution of wasika began in the early nineteenth century when the royal consort, the spouse of Awadh's Nawab Shuja-ud-Daula, gave 40m rupees to the British entity in multiple payments on the stipulation that her relatives and associates obtain monthly pensions, as per the historian.

Historical documents indicate that other people linked to the dynasty also provided funds to the Company on comparable conditions.

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

As per Uttar Pradesh's wasika officer the officer, approximately three million rupees was first deposited in the Reserve Bank of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) and subsequently transferred to the industrial city and then Lucknow. Now, the stipends are paid out from the returns generated on approximately 2.6 million rupees deposited in a local bank in the urban area.

The payments are made by dual authorities in the Picture Gallery: the Hussainabad Trust, run by Lucknow's district administration, and the Uttar Pradesh government's pension department. The government now transfers pensions directly into bank accounts, while the foundation pays in cash.

Danish Ansari, Uttar Pradesh's official, says the pension is given out as per policy and that the tradition "dates back to the rulers of the region."

Critics contend that these allowances are vestiges of feudal privilege and should have no role in the modern era. But supporters see them as symbolic payments tied to past agreements that cannot be easily brushed aside.

Shahid Ali Khan, 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.

Now, he receives two separate stipends linked to two loans, one payment of four rupees and eighty paise quarterly and another monthly payment of 3.21 rupees.

"This wasika cannot be measured in currency. It's our identity, worth more than millions. A select group obtain it," he explains, noting that he receives it shortly prior to the sacred period of the Islamic month, allocating it solely to spiritual purposes.

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

Many recipients argue that the pensions should be raised according to current interest rates.

"We've been getting the stipend at a 4% interest rate since the Nawabs' time, while current financial yields are significantly greater," Faiyaz Ali Khan says.

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

"It's regrettable that I spend 500 rupees on petrol just to collect nine rupees and 70 paise," he says.

Scholars also highlight that the wasika was originally paid in silver coins that each weighed over 11.7 grams (around 11.7 grams).

But when the distributions switched to Indian currency, the worth dropped sharply.

The lawyer declares he plans to go to court to seek an update of the amount.

"We'll ask why wasika isn't paid in precious metal anymore. And if not in coin, then at least the sum corresponding to current metal prices should be paid," he states.

It is not only the monetary value of the pension that has diminished, but also the splendor associated with it.

Another recipient, whose family has been obtaining these stipends for generations, remembers a period when collecting the pension felt like a festival, with sherbets and beverages being available on the day.

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