Who was Kashiram and what is the story of his encounter with thieves?

Kashiram was a devotee of Maharaj who had a dramatic encounter with thieves. As detailed in Chapter 0, he was carrying a small bundle of powdered sugar, which he kept because a saint had advised him to feed ants. Thieves, mistaking the bundle for treasure, attacked him. Kashiram bravely fought back, killing two assailants with a dropped sword before being struck unconscious with an axe. The thieves left him for dead, but he survived. He refused to go to a hospital, insisting on being taken to Shirdi, where he was treated by Madhavrao Deshpande on Maharaj's instructions and recovered by Maharaj's grace. For his bravery, he received a sword from the Bombay government.