🔗 Share this article

In Hussainabad, located in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, nonagenarian Faiyaz Ali Khan makes his way to the Art Gallery, a nineteenth-century building that stands as a reminder of the region's regal history.

His hands tremble as he walks, but there is a gleam in his eyes. He has arrived to receive his stipend, a allowance provided to the descendants and associates of the erstwhile Awadh kingdom.

This pension, derived from the Farsi word for a written agreement, is a pension given to the heirs and affiliates of the sovereigns of the former Awadh state. Awadh, now the heartland of Uttar Pradesh, was governed by partially independent Muslim rulers - known as nawabs - until the British took control in 1856.

India does not retain a royal system, and former royals lack any titles, privileges or special payments, called privy purses. However, while their kingdoms and authority have vanished, some stipend systems have continued for descendants of these families in regions including Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, and the western state.

A historian, a historian of Lucknow, where the area is located, says 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 British trading enterprise - on the agreement that the earnings be paid out as stipends to their families. These advances were perpetual, meaning the Company never had to repay the original sum.

But soon, the colonial power gained power in the region while the local rulers became weaker.

During that period, Mr Taqui says, several rulers were also forced to lend money to the enterprise, which needed it to wage the conflict in Afghanistan.

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

"We've been collecting this pension since the era of our ancestors. It's such a small amount that I visit annually to receive it," he said.

The pension amount is meagre, only nine rupees and 70 paise ($0.11; £0.08) a thirty days, but for his family, it is about honour - their last living link to a formerly wealthy heritage.

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

Today, around twelve hundred individuals - known as wasikedars - still receive these pensions.

However, the payouts are variable and inconsistent and diminish with each generation. For instance, if a person got 100 rupees and had two children, the pension would be reduced by half after their death, leaving each with fifty rupees. As heirs grew over the years, the portion of the stipend became even smaller.

The distribution of the pension began in the early nineteenth century when the royal consort, the wife of Awadh's the ruler, gave 40m rupees to the East India Company in multiple payments on the stipulation that her kin and affiliates receive monthly pensions, according to Mr Taqui.

Historical documents indicate that additional individuals linked to the dynasty also gave loans to the firm on similar terms.

After India became independent in the mid-twentieth century, a portion of the money provided by Bahu Begum was deposited in a bank.

According to the state's wasika officer SP Tiwari, 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 distributed from the interest earned on around 2.6 million rupees held in a city bank in the city.

The payments are made by two offices in the Picture Gallery: the local trust, run by the city's authorities, and the state's wasika office. The government now transfers pensions straight to bank accounts, while the Trust pays in cash.

Danish Ansari, the state's minority welfare minister, states the pension is distributed as per policy and that the tradition "originates from the Nawabs of Awadh."

Skeptics argue that these allowances are remnants of aristocratic entitlement and should have no role in the modern era. But advocates view them as honorary compensations linked to historical promises that should not be disregarded.

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

Now, he gets distinct royal pensions linked to dual advances, one payment of 4.80 rupees quarterly and a second regular stipend of 3.21 rupees.

"This wasika should not be valued in currency. It's our identity, invaluable. A select group obtain it," he explains, noting that he collects it just before the sacred period of Muharram, allocating it solely to religious expenses.

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

Many recipients assert that the stipends should be increased in line with modern financial returns.

"We've been getting the stipend at a four percent return since the era of the rulers, while current financial yields are significantly greater," the elder states.

His offspring comments that they have made repeated appeals for the sum to be increased, but in vain.

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

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

But when the distributions switched to the national money, the worth declined significantly.

Shahid Ali Khan says he plans to go to court to seek an update of the amount.

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

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

Another recipient, whose lineage has been obtaining these stipends for multiple eras, recalls a period when receiving the stipend felt like a festival, with refreshments and beverages being available on the occasion.

"People {came in|arr