Who was Chand Patil and why was he so distraught when he met the Fakir?

Chand Patil, as introduced in Chapter 5, was a Muslim man from Dhup village in the Aurangabad district. He was completely disappointed and grieving because he had lost his mare while traveling to Aurangabad. He had searched for the animal for two months with no success. At the moment he met the Fakir, he had given up the search and was walking back on the path with the horse's saddle slung over his own back, a clear sign of his dejection and loss.