The 20th anniversary of Mr. Hossein Dezhakam's liberation from addiction

The 20^th anniversary of Mr. Hossein Dezhakam's (the Base of Congress60) liberation from addiction, was held on December, 6, 2017. After his speech, the Didebans (Congress60's Watchers) delivered their speech on this occasion.

You are kindly invited to read the full report of this exciting meeting in the following:

Mr. Mohsen Khan: How fast these 20 years flew. We have seen the initial days of  Congress60. Mr. Dezhakam, Mrs. Ani and their children also observed those days. I am  sure next years will fly very soon. I congratulate Mr. Dezhakam and his respected family on this day. 

Mrs. Ani: I am grateful to get discharged from hospital and be here. I did not think that I could survive and see the 20^th anniversary of Mr. Dezhakam's liberation from addiction. Thank you all. I cannot express my love towards you; however, if I do not see you one day, I miss you. This is the meaning of a family. One of my friends said: people love (others) less today; I told her: if you do everything lovingly, they will return that love to you. Here, we are a family indeed. I congratulate you on the 20^th anniversary of my husband's birthday.

Miss Kamandar: I congratulate my father's 20^th anniversary of liberation from addiction. I am grateful to the individuals who are serving and the Didebans (watchers). I implore God to help me move on the Straight Way and God bless me. This is also my wish for you.

Mr. Amin Dezhakam: This is an amazing and great event. I express my congratulations on the 20^th anniversary of my father's liberation from addiction to him and my family. The results of this happening are increasingly observed. My father always had the thought of helping people in his mind. He really desired to do positive works for the human beings and help them. This was permanently within him. As time wore on, this desire increased. The love of human beings was the base of this event (the discovery of addiction treatment), after that his non-stop attempts and efforts were the main reason of his success. My mother lent him a helping hand and eventually, with the Lord's help, the addiction cure was discovered. Decent people  continued this path and I hope this effort and move will continue.

Miss Shani Dezhakam: I congratulate my Dad and family on this birthday. I am glad to be here and my hearty want is to do whatever my dad wants. Many of you know that I am a film-maker and I am interested to this area. I wholeheartedly want to give him all the images he is interested in and I want not to let my dreams (which make the reality) fade in the dark.

Mr. Ali Khoddami: Congratulations to the Base of Congress60 and his respected family and Congress6's members. God only knows what it was and what happened. When I entered Congress, I smoked and gradually tapered opium (as the DST method indicates). Within six months, Mr. Torabkhani told me not to consume any longer. When Master Dezhakam realized that, he got deeply sad and said that no one is allowed to stop consuming opium without his order.  

Mr. Saeed Namaki: I also congratulate this day and week and I am so happy that I am now considered as the stem of Congress60 [the stem of Congress60 consists of 14 watchers). Master Dezhakam, the base of Congress60, made great potency so that my fellows and I have got the opportunity to spend our abilities in Congress60. When I entered Congress60, I was not a bad man, but my dressing and discourse style were not appropriate. The only point that changed me was the fact that instructions were of high importance to Mr. Dezhakam. Gradually, these instructions changed me (both my appearance and inner side changed). And this was the greatest gift given to me and my family. I heartily congratulate him on this day.  

Mr. Mohammad Sedaghat: I also congratulate the family of Congress60 on this day. I hope I have the worth and merit to be adjacent to you and to serve (in Congress60). When legions had not been established yet, I went to Master Dezhakam and told him "I have to select you as my guide". He asked: "why", I answered: "because as I approach a guide, he himself destroys his travel and consumes drugs". I was in Master Dezhakam's legion and after two months, he abandoned his legion. He told me I sent you to one whom you can rely on and sent me to Mr. Torabkhani. Thank God I stayed in his legion and I hope I can serve for many many years in Congress60.

Mr. Kamran: I also express my congratulations to Master Dezhakam and his respected family.  I believe that Master Dezhakam's birthday is our survival day. I believe that one day all the people around the world will benefit from this invaluable gift and I am gratified to be one member of this society (Congress60). I am gratified to be adjacent to Master Dezhakam and the Didebans (watchers). I have a memory from the time I entered Isfahan branch of Congress60. I observed that four individuals (guides) had come from Tehran and on those days, I did not believe that these dear people had been once drug-abusers. On those days, when I listened to the (educational) cassettes, it was as if I had found my lost half in them. I am grateful to God that Congress60 now has many branches.

MR. Salami: I express my congratulations for the 20^th anniversary of Master Dezhakam's liberation from addiction. He ignored his own and his family's rights to be with us. One day in Ramadan (several years ago), Master Dezhakam told us "we are going to cook rice for tonight Iftari". He asked me: "do you know how?" and I answered: "Yes". We simmered the rice and drained it and put it in the oven so that it will be cooked. When we wanted to serve it, one third of rice was burned, one third of it was uncooked and one part was mixed together. On that day, all the members ate that rice with joy. I have an 18-year-old memory of being adjacent to Master Dezhakam. Most of NGOs were good in their first year,  they continue to the second, third, fourth and eventually they reach their fifth year and they will shut down. Contrary to other NGOs, Congress60 not only was not slower in its movement, but also it has got stronger over time.

Mr. Mohsen Khan: 19 years ago, we had a meeting with Master Dezhakam consisting of seven individuals. In those days, if a person was absent in one session, he had to bring confection and this confection was much more than the number of members. After a while, Master Dezhakam told me to take pupils. Mr. Torabkhani came to me and asked if I took pupil and I answered: "if I take one, this is not you, because you are highly broken". [Mr. Torabkhani is now one of the watchers of Congress60 with more than 15 years of liberation from addiction].

Mr. Ali Ashkezari: I was sitting in front of this place with a red shirt, and six-pocket trousers, a gold necklace with a plaque bearing the name of God, and undone buttons. I did not seek for liberation, I had come to fight here, I was waiting for Mr. Dezhakam to come and criticise me so that I could start a fight with him. I had come to hunt and I was hunted immediately. Time has been differently defined in Congress60, I have not yet succeeded to adjust and evaluate the definition of time in Congress60 with others'; I hope we can be with each other for a long time.    

Mr. Ahmad Hakimi: I congratulate all dear individuals, specially Mr. Dezhakam, his respected family and all the members. In 2000, I was a drug abuser. One day, I turned on TV and I saw him on it. When he finished his speech, an inner force told me: "the only person who can help you is this person and an inner consultant  told me this is the only way (to get liberated from addiction) and you have to resist [so that you succeed]. After a while, one day, master Dezhakam asked about my consumption and I told him: "I am now using one gram of opium every ten days".  He said: "Jesus  Christ was not the only rescuer!" His word impressed me so much that I continued my way with more resistance (power). When I was in the 25^th day of travel, some people told me to stop my travel and go, rest at home for a few days  and take several pills to get liberated from addiction. I thanked them and continued my travel. God gives special opportunity to people to change themselves and He himself says that I do not give this opportunity to all the people. Now that we have received such an opportunity, we have to appreciate it; we have to remind (and ask) ourselves what would happen if Congress60 had not existed or how we were if Master Dezhakam had not been [here to guide us]. We have to remember Master Dezhakam's slogan that our message is not "fight", our message is "love". We have to appreciate this and do not forget that. I hope we can develop this family (Congress60) and help human beings. I hope we will be consistent in this way.

Mr. Ali Majdian: I congratulate you on this day. I have a memory from 18 years ago when I entered Congress60 the same as the image Master Dezhakam described for Mr. Ashkezari. On those days, the number of guides was so limited and because of this, I had to select one of them reluctantly. He asked me: "how much drugs do you consume?" and I answered his question. Then, he told me reduce the amount of your drugs and I said: "ok". Then, he asked whether I could do that and I said I would do it for sure. In that time, those who traveled based on DST method were a few and I just knew a person who was travelling based on DST method (standing for Dezhakam Step Time meaning gradual reduction of drugs), one of them was called "gradual Mehdi". In those days, I  thought his name was "Gradual Mehdi" and after a while I realized that his name is "Mehdi" and because he was traveling based on the gradual DST method, he was called Gradual Mehdi by the members. On those days, many of the members had cold-turkey and they condemned us for travelling gradually. They said: "what is this kidding called the DST? Go and have a cold turkey." I thank God because he directed me to the right path. His love towards me has not reduced over years, on the contrary, his love has been multiplied.

Mr. Torabkhani: I congratulate all the members, Master Dezhakam and his respected family on the 20^th anniversary of Master Dezhakam's liberation from addiction. I hope he will be healthy. Many years ago, as I was going to a class, on my way, I saw Congress60's panel and I entered. I am always thankful because of one thing: "the peace which we feel here". This feeling is common among us, we feel we are living in peace in here and I am grateful to those who served here so that we could recover ourselves.

Mrs. Touti: Mr. Dezhakam acts as my father, my master and my friend. I congrtulate him. In 1996, he decided to send me to Ukraine to continue my studies. When I came back, he told me he wanted to start a travel and it was ambiguous to us. Thank God the path (of liberation) was opened. I had to return to Ukraine. One day, as I was in the dormitory, they told me I had a call from Iran. My sister, Mrs. Ani, was on the phone. She told me that Mr. Dezhakam has ended up his travel, I felt a strange feeling, I desired to hug my family members but it was impossible, I was alone. On those days, never did I predict today, on which we can celebrate his 20^th anniversary of liberation from addiction with such a great population here.

Parsana: I congratuate this day too and I hope this happiness will always continue.

Transcribed by Traveler Ahmad Sharifian

Photographer: Traveler Sirous

Translated by Elahe