What event involving a friend almost prevented the author from making his first trip to Shirdi?

The author's journey to Shirdi was nearly derailed by a tragic event that deeply affected him. As recounted in Chapter 2, his trip had been arranged due to the insistence of Kakasaheb Dixit. However, on the very day of his planned departure, his mind suddenly changed. This was because a very close friend, who was the son of a Guru, experienced a terrible loss in Lonavala. The friend's healthy and virtuous son was suddenly stricken with a fever and died, despite the use of all human remedies and even having the Guru himself sit by the boy's side. Witnessing this difficult situation and the apparent failure of spiritual intervention to prevent the tragedy caused the author, who was already cynical, to question his own trip.