Jaigirdar was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh,[2] then alternated between living in Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh as a child.[3] At age ten, she and her family immigrated to Tullamore, Ireland;[3] she has lived in the Dublin region ever since.[2]
Throughout much of her life, she has been in situation where she is among only a few people of color, an experience that has shaped her writing.[3]
Jaigirdar identifies as a queerMuslim woman of color.[4][5][6] Like characters from her novel Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating, Jaigirdar "has been told that parts of her identity cancel out others and couldn't exist in the same person."[7] Her writing is now inspired by her history and with hopes that young Muslim people of color can embrace their queer identities.[7][8]
Aside from writing young adult novels, Jaigirdar has been a writer for Book Riot.[9] She also teaches English as a foreign language to recent immigrants to Ireland.[4]
Jaigirdar has written about people like herself and stated, "My very existence is political, so the things that I write will also be seen as inherently political."[6] Like characters from her novel Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating, Jaigirdar "has been told that parts of her identity cancel out others and couldn't exist in the same person."[7] Her writing is now inspired by her history and with hopes that young people of color can embrace their queer identities.[7]
The Henna Wars was published May 12, 2020 in the United States and October 2021 in the United Kingdom. The book follows Nishat, a Bangladeshi teenager who comes out as a lesbian while in high school.
The novel deals with a number of themes, including racism, homophobia,[10] Islamophobia, and coming-of-age. The intersection between Nishat's cultural identity and her sexual identity is a central theme of the novel. Lana Barnes of Shelf Awareness described Nishat's struggle as "the dichotomy of wanting to break from the constraints of tradition while still maintaining strong ties to culture and beliefs."[11]
^NGILBERT (14 January 2021). "2021 Best Fiction for Young Adults". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). Archived from the original on 25 February 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2022.