History was written yesterday as two 26-year-olds were sworn in as youngest-ever advisers to the interim government, each holding ministerial portfolios.

When the quota reform protests started on July 1, Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud were mere students at Dhaka University.

The two students along with a few others played a key part in sustaining the movement that rapidly spread across the nation.

Eventually, it turned into a mass upsurge to force Sheikh Hasina to resign as prime minister and flee the country on August 5.

During the protests, they endured torture but refused to bow their heads or step back from their fight for rights.

They drew attention when they were picked up during the first round of curfew slapped by the Hasina government to suppress the quota reform movement. Media reports described how they were tortured and left on the roadside.

Later, Detective Branch (DB) members picked up the two again along with four other coordinators while they were undergoing treatment at Gonoshasthaya Nagar Hospital in the capital. But instead of backing down, they launched a hunger strike at the DB office on July 30, protesting the unjust arrests of their coordinators and the brutal crackdown on students nationwide.

Later, the six coordinators including Nahid and Asif were forced to announce the withdrawal of the anti-discrimination student movement programme in a video message when they were under DB custody.

But after being released from there, they vowed to press on with the movement.

Their persistence paid off as the movement soon resonated with the public.

As police brutality increased, at one stage they announced a one-point demand for Hasina's resignation which ultimately ended the Awami League's rule.

And thus in a month, two students who started a fight against discrimination, ended up being advisers in the interim government.

Nahid is a master's student of sociology at Dhaka University. He enrolled in the university in 2016-2017 session.

He is also the member secretary of Ganotantrik Chhatra Shakti (DU unit), a group formed by breakaway members of Chhatra Odhikar Parishad, led by Nurul Haque Nur.

Asif, another coordinator of the quota reform movement, is a student of linguistics at DU. A close associate of Nahid, Asif serves as the convener of Ganotantrik Chhatra Shakti.

After taking oath as the advisers, both Nahid and Asif said they will fight for the voting rights of the people, work for restoring democracy in the country. They also vowed to eliminate discrimination and injustice from the society.

"If Bangladesh is in the hand of its youths, the country will not derail from its goal," Nahid said.

"People relied on the youth and took to the streets (during the movement). The youth gave blood, so did the countrymen. If the people think that the youth should take the helm of the state, then they are ready to answer the call," he said replying to a query.

Nahid said the interim government has a blend of young and experienced people. It is represented by the people from all opinion.

"The participants of anti-discriminatory student movement will not only work as part of the government but also remain in the streets. Jointly, we will lead the country to prosperity," he said.

"The people of Bangladesh are deprived of voting rights for a long time. The main objective of the government is restoring democracy by ensuring voting rights," he said.

It is not possible to ensure a free and fair election unless a structural reform of the state including the election commission, he said.

Speaking to reporters, Asif said they are ready to embrace the challenge as country's youngest advisers.

"We are prepared to take on this challenge. All the state institutions were ruined under the fascist government. We aim to eliminate fascism by reforming these institutions."

He said while the major parties couldn't oust the autocratic government in the last 17 years, they managed to do so in just four days after announcing their one-point demand.

"We will prove that the younger generation too can serve the country with passion and patriotism," Asif said.