Before he became a devotee, what was the author's personality and mindset like, and how did he end up going to Shirdi?

The author, who would later be known as Hemadpant, describes his former self in Chapter 2 as being mischievous, talkative, cynical, and critical. He was arrogant about his knowledge, possessing a logic-driven mind that was always proud of its own wisdom and prone to argumentation. He admits he knew nothing of a Satguru's greatness. His journey to Shirdi was not a result of faith but occurred purely by chance, which he attributes to a past-life connection. It was only due to the strong insistence of his acquaintance, Kakasaheb Dixit, that the trip was fixed, despite the author's mind suddenly changing on the very day of departure.