Who is 'Hemadpant,' and what was his personality like before he began writing the Sai Leela?

Hemadpant is the name the author of the 'Sai Leela' uses at the end of every chapter. In Chapter 2, he promises to explain how he got this name to satisfy the reader's curiosity. He describes his former self as being mischievous, talkative, cynical, and critical. He admits to having a logic-driven mind and being arrogant about his own wisdom, which made him prone to argumentation. At that time, he confesses he knew nothing of a Satguru's greatness and was possessed of a bad intellect.