Can you describe the personality of the author of the 'Sai Leela' book before he met Sai Baba and explain how he ended up visiting Shirdi?

The author, who would later be known as Hemadpant, describes himself as being mischievous, talkative, cynical, and critical before his transformation. In Chapter 2, he admits to being arrogant about his knowledge, possessing a logic-driven mind, and being prone to argumentation. He knew nothing of a Satguru's greatness. Despite this, he explains that destiny was strong. His past-life connections with Kakasaheb Dixit and Nanasaheb Chandorkar were instrumental. It was due to Kakasaheb's insistence that the trip to Shirdi was arranged, leading the staunch debater to see Sai Baba's lotus feet purely by chance.