Who is Hemadpant, and what was his personality like before he started writing about Sai?

Hemadpant is the name attributed to the author of the "Sai Leela" book, as heard at the end of every chapter. In Chapter 2, the author describes his own initial character before he fully embraced the path of devotion. He confesses that he was initially mischievous, talkative, cynical, and critical. He describes himself as having a logic-driven mind and being prone to argumentation. He was arrogant, always proud of his own wisdom, and knew nothing of the greatness of a Satguru, possessing what he terms a "bad intellect."