Why was the Tarkhad son so hesitant to travel to Shirdi, and what convinced him to go?

The Tarkhad son was hesitant to go to Shirdi because he was deeply committed to his daily worship routine for Sai Baba, which included offering Naivedya (food offering) to a photograph. As described in Chapter 9, his primary worry was who would perform this worship regularly in his absence. He was especially concerned because his father was a follower of the Prarthana Samaj and not accustomed to idol worship. The son was finally convinced to make the journey after he requested his father to take over the duty. His father gave him a firm assurance, promising that no one in the home would eat before the Naivedya was offered to Sai, which gave the son peace of mind to travel.