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In the historic locality of Hussainabad, located in the north Indian state of UP, nonagenarian Faiyaz Ali Khan makes his way to the Art Gallery, a 19th Century structure that is a relic of the city's royal past.

His hands tremble as he moves, but there is a sparkle in his eyes. He has come to collect his stipend, a payment granted to the descendants and connections of the former Awadh kingdom.

This pension, originating from the Persian word for a formal contract, is a stipend awarded to the descendants and associates of the rulers of the previous Awadh kingdom. Awadh, now the central region of Uttar Pradesh, was governed by partially independent Muslim leaders - called 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 special payments, known as privy purses. However, while their realms and authority have vanished, some pension arrangements have continued for heirs of these families in regions including UP, Kerala, and the western state.

Roshan Taqui, a historian of Lucknow, where Hussainabad is located, explains that in the early 1800s some individuals of the Awadh dynasty lent money to the British enterprise - which was then a commercial entity - on the agreement that the interest be distributed as pensions to their relatives. These advances were ongoing, meaning the firm never had to return the principal amount.

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

During that period, Mr Taqui says, a number of nawabs were also compelled to provide money to the Company, which required it to wage the conflict in Afghanistan.

Standing outside the Picture Gallery, which was built during the reign of ex- Awadh ruler Mohammad Ali Shah, Faiyaz Ali Khan says he has arrived to receive his stipend after 13 months.

"We've been receiving this wasika since the era of our ancestors. It's so little that I only come once a year to collect it," he explained.

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

"Even if we get just one paisa, we'll pay a significant amount to come and collect it," says his offspring the younger generation.

Today, around 1,200 people - known as pension holders - still receive 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 children, the pension would be reduced by half after their death, giving each 50 rupees. As descendants multiplied over time, the share of pensions became more diminished.

The allotment of wasika began in 1817 when the royal consort, 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 kin and associates obtain regular stipends, according to the historian.

Official records show that additional individuals associated with the royal family also gave loans to the firm on similar terms.

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

As per Uttar Pradesh's pension official the officer, approximately three million rupees was initially placed in the Reserve Bank of Kolkata (previously Calcutta) and later moved to Kanpur and then Lucknow. Now, the stipends are distributed from the returns generated on around 2.6m rupees deposited in a city bank in the urban area.

The distributions are handled by dual authorities in the Picture Gallery: the Hussainabad Trust, managed by Lucknow's district administration, and the state's pension department. The authorities now sends stipends straight to financial accounts, while the Trust distributes physical currency.

Danish Ansari, the state's official, says the wasika is distributed as per regulation and that the tradition "originates from the Nawabs of Awadh."

Skeptics argue that these allowances are vestiges of aristocratic entitlement and should have no place today. But advocates view them as symbolic payments tied to historical promises that cannot be easily brushed aside.

Shahid Ali Khan, a legal professional who is also a recipient of the stipend, points to his own heritage. His grandfather was a official to Nawab Mohammad Ali Shah.

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

"This wasika should not be valued in currency. It's our identity, worth more than millions. A select group receive it," he says, adding that he collects it shortly prior to the holy month of Muharram, using it only for spiritual purposes.

"I don't collect it throughout the year because if even a single paisa is spent elsewhere, 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 much higher," the elder says.

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

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

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

But when the distributions changed 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 the stipend isn't paid in silver coins anymore. And if not in silver, then at least the amount equivalent to current metal prices should be provided," he states.

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

Masood Abdullah, whose family has been receiving these payments for multiple eras, recalls a period when collecting the pension was a celebratory event, with refreshments and tea being sold on the occasion.

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