What was Sai Baba's life like before he started living in the mosque, and what were some of his habits?

Before settling in the mosque, Sai Baba lived for a long time at the Takia, a resting place for Fakirs. Chapter 5 tells us that while there, he would engage in devotional practices like tying bells to his feet and dancing beautifully to the beat of a small tambourine, while also singing sweetly. Even in these early days, he had a great fondness for lighting lamps. The text mentions he would personally take a tin pot and go to the shops of grocers and oil-merchants to beg for oil to keep the lamps burning in both the temple and the mosque, even celebrating the Diwali festival of lights.