Who was Hemadpant, and what was his personality like before his journey to Shirdi?

Hemadpant is the name of the author who composed the book of Sai Baba's stories, a name that appears at the end of every chapter. In Chapter 2, the author provides a candid self-assessment of his character before meeting Sai Baba. He describes himself as having been mischievous, talkative, cynical, and critical. He admits to being very proud of his own wisdom, possessing a logic-driven mind, and being prone to argumentation. He states that he knew nothing of a Satguru's greatness and was arrogant about his knowledge, which he refers to as having a "bad intellect."