Who is the person referred to as 'Hemadpant', and what was his character like before this naming?

Hemadpant is the name given to the author of the "Sai Leela" book, whose name appears at the end of every chapter. In Chapter 2, the author describes his own prior character before he fully understood the Satguru's greatness. He admits to being mischievous, talkative, cynical, and critical. He states that he was arrogant about his knowledge, possessed a bad intellect, and had a logic-driven mind. He was always proud of his own wisdom and prone to argumentation, knowing nothing of the greatness of a Satguru.