How did the author describe his own personality before meeting Sai Baba, and why did he feel the need to explain the origin of his name 'Hemadpant'?

The author provides a candid self-assessment in Chapter 2, describing his former self as mischievous, talkative, cynical, and critical. He admits to being arrogant about his knowledge, possessing a logic-driven mind that was always prone to argumentation. He knew nothing of a Satguru's greatness. He felt it was necessary to explain how he was named 'Hemadpant' because this name appears at the end of every chapter, and he anticipated that this would create a natural doubt in the reader's mind. He promised to satisfy this curiosity before continuing with Sai's life story.