Why was the Tarkhad's son so worried about leaving for Shirdi with his mother?

The Tarkhad's son was deeply concerned about his trip to Shirdi because of his commitment to the daily worship of Sai Baba's photograph at home. As detailed in Chapter 9, he had a strict routine of performing this worship and offering 'Naivedya' (food offering) before anyone in the household ate. His primary worry was who would maintain this sacred practice in his absence. His father, being a follower of the Prarthana Samaj, was not accustomed to idol worship, which made the son hesitant to entrust this important duty to him.