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

The author's trip to Shirdi was nearly canceled because of a deeply unsettling event that happened to a close friend. As recounted in Chapter 2, this friend, who was the son of a Guru, was in Lonavala when his healthy and virtuous young son was suddenly stricken with a fever. Despite trying all human remedies and even having the Guru himself sit by the child's side, the boy tragically passed away. Witnessing this profound loss, where even the grace and presence of a Guru seemed ineffective, caused the author's cynical and logic-driven mind to waver, making him suddenly change his mind on the very day he was supposed to depart for Shirdi.