How did the villagers in Shirdi initially view Sai Baba, and what specific event changed their minds?

Initially, the villagers of Shirdi considered Sai Baba to be an ordinary or even a mad Fakir. As described in Chapter 0, he wore torn clothes, sat in random places, and sometimes assumed a fierce form, which made him seem like a madman to the general public. Their perception dramatically changed after a specific miracle. Baba was fond of lighting lamps in the Masjid, but one day the local grocers refused to give him oil. Instead of forgoing his routine, Maharaj filled the lamps with water and lit them. When the lamps burned all night just as if they had oil, the people were amazed. This event, mentioned in Chapter 0, caused them to surrender to him, apologize for their insults, and finally recognize his true worth.